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THE  GAMBLER 


A  STORY  OF  CHICAGO  LIFE 


FRANC  B.  WILKIE, 

(POLIUTO) 

AUTHOR   OF    "sketches   BEYOND   THE  SEA,"    "tHE   GREAT   INVENTIONS 

AND   THEIR    INFLUENCE    ON    CIVILIZATION,"    "tHE    CHICAGO 

BAR,"      "walks    about      CHICAGO,"     AND      "ARMY 

AND   MISCELLANEOUS    SKETCHES,"   ETC. 


CHICAGO: 
T.  S.  DENISON,  Publisher, 

163  RANDOLPH  STREET. 


COPYRIGHT,  i8S3, 

—  BY  — 

FRANC  B.  WILKIE. 
{All  rights  reserved^ 


PRINTED    BY 

3LAKELY  PRINTING  CO. 
I84-  isa  Monroe  St. 


PREFACE. 

The  moral  purpose  of  this  work  is  the  pre- 
sentation of  some  of  the  more  salient  phases 
of  one  of  the  most  dangerous  and  prevalent 
vices  of  the  age.  To  fairly  accomplish  this 
end,  it  has  been  found  essential  to  touch 
here  and  there  on  the  concomitants  of 
gambling. 

Some  of  these  adjuncts  are  not  of  a  pleas- 
ant character  when  offered  for  public  inspec- 
tion ;  but  in  their  portrayal,  such  limitations 
have  been  provided  as  to  offend  as  little  as 
possible  the  sensibilities  of  the  most  refined 
reader. 

Nothing  of  this  objectionable  nature  has 
been  written  which  is  not  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  enforce  the  lessons  of  the  book  in 
reference  to  the  curse  of  gaming. 

If  this  work  shall  so  exhibit  the  hell  into 
which  gaming  leads,  as  to  prevent  here  and 
there  some  curious  youth  from  journeying 
thither,  it  will  have  served  one  of  the  main 
purposes  of  the  author  in  its  preparation. 


CONTENTS. 


PART  FIRST. 

I.  He  is  Born. — II.  A  Town  with  a  Boom. — III.  He  Im- 
proves His  Opportunity. — IV.  A  Countryman  in  Town. — V. 
He  Inspects  the  City. — VI.  A  Detour  to  Slaughter  Hollow. — 
VII.  Paul  Journeys  East.— VIII.  The  Fetich  Temple.— IX. 
The  Pretty  Typewriter. — X.  Jew  and  Gentile. — XI.  The 
Brute  of  the  Horse-Car. — XII.  The  Creme  de  la  Creme. — 
XIII.  A  Woman  Enters  the  Scene. — XIV.  Trouble  is  Brew- 
ing.— XV.   Friendship,  Marriage  and  Love 7-127 

PART  SECOND. 

I.  An  Incantation. — II.  Preparing  the  Way. — III.  A  Nest 
of  Hawks. — IV.  A  Rattling  Game. — V.  They  go  a-fishing. — 
VI.  Tempter  and  Priestess. — VII.  The  Fish  Takes  the  Hook. 
— VIII.  Hawks  and  Doves. — IX.  The  Composite  of  the 
Gambler. — X.  Mother  and  Babe. — XI.  Tricks  of  the  Trade. 
XII.  The  Bats  in  Search  of  Prey.— XIII.  More  Bait  Offered. 
—XIV.   The  Fish  is  Landed 129-253 

PART  THIRD. 

I.  The  Beautiful  and  the  Vile.— II.  A  Streak  of  Luck.— 
III.  Eleanor  Makes  a  Discovery. — IV.  Deeper  in  the  Slough. 
— V.  A  Vigorous  Set-To.— VI.  The  Sacrifice  is  Found.— VII. 
A  Hand  from  the  Further  Shore 255-325 

Supplementary  Notes  326-328 

5 


PART  FIRST. 


HE   IS   BORN. 


Paul  Calkins  was  born  of  poor  and  pious 
parents  in  an  Eastern  State.  The  event  oc- 
curred some  years  ago,  and  was  not  attended 
with  any  commotion  in  the  other  planets,  or 
any  other  indication  that  nature  was  in  the 
least  perturbed  by  the  new  arrival.  No 
silver  spoon  was  found  to  be  in  his  mouth 
when  he  came  into  the  world. 

The  infant,  in  fact,  was  the  average  brat.  It 
had  the  color  of  a  boiled  lobster,  and  pos- 
sessed like  all  others  of  the  same  kind,  a  dis- 
position to  make  itself  heard  through  smoth- 
ered utterances.  Life  begins  as  it  ends  ;  there 
are  a  gasping  for  air  and  a  rattling  in  the 
throat. 

There  was  nothing  about  the  infant  to  in- 
7 


8  THE   GAMBLER. 

dicate  the  nature  of  its  future.  It  was  not 
hooded  with  a  cowl ;  it  was  washed,  dressed, 
wrapped  in  a  warm  flannel  blanket,  and  then 
was  left  to  its  own  reflections  with  intervals 
for  refreshments.  What  it  occupied  itself 
with  at  this  early  stage  of  its  existence  can- 
not even  be  guessed  at.  If  the  teachings  of 
heredity  be  true,  it  had  already  tendencies 
to  good  or  evil ;  but  if  it  possessed  them  it 
gave  no  sign. 

It  progressed  from  a  flannel  blanket  to  long 
clothes,  and  then  into  short  clothes,  having 
meanwhile  been  labeled  Paul  by  his  good 
parents,  who  took  it  for  granted  that  he 
would  emulate  and  adopt  the  example  of  that 
pious  saint.  In  one  sense  their  wishes  were 
realized,  for  the  young  Paul,  in  later  life,  like 
his  illustrious  namesake,  was  accustomed  to 
"go  blind"  on  many  occasions. 

He  grew  up  like  other  boys  in  the  country. 
He  fed  the  pigs  and  the  chickens  ;  he  cared 
for  the  baby  that  came  along  a  year  later ;  he 
was  often  and  properly  switched  by  his 
mother,  scratched  by  the  cat,  and  kicked  and 
choked  by  big  and  older  boys. 

He  learned  his  letters  in  the  frame  school- 
house  ;  he  went  to  church  and  Sunday  school ; 


THE   GAMBLER.  g 

he  was  slightly  converted  at  each  of  the  an- 
nual "revivals ;"  he  fell  in  love  when  he  was 
nine,  and  again  when  he  was  twelve,  four- 
teen, and  sixteen  ;  each  time  with  a  different 
girl,  and  each  time  with  the  firm  conviction 
that  his  present  love  was  the  only  true, 
genuine  one,  and  that  it  would  be  eternal. 

He  grew  to  be  a  slender  youth,  well  built, 
with  gray  eyes,  light  hair,  and  fingers  which 
would  have  been  soft  and  shapely  had  he 
handled  fewer  sticks  of  stove  wood,  and  a  less 
number  of  hoes  and  pitchforks.  He  was 
strong,  healthy,  with  a  good  amount  of 
brains  of  an  average  quaUty.  He  "ciphered" 
through  the  arithmetic,  made  a  bad  break  in 
the  grammar,  could  read  well,  and  was 
well  posted  on  crops,  cattle,  dogs,  pigs  and 
poultry. 

Such  was  his  condition,  when  he  became 
infected  with  the  Western  fever.  A  boy  liv- 
ing over  in  Swan  Holler  had  gone  west 
several  years  before,  and  was  now  home  on  a 
visit,  and  was  turning  the  settlement  upside 
down.  He  wore  store  clothes,  sported  a 
cane,  chewed  tobacco,  smoked  cigars,  and 
was  a  tremendous  swell  of  at  least  eighteen 
karats  fineness. 


lO  THE   GAMBLER. 

He  related  most  marvelous  yarns  of  the 
wonderful  West.  Golden  shiners  illuminated 
the  sod  of  the  prairie.  Diamonds  could  be 
had  for  the  picking  up.  When  he  invited  the 
boys  to  "Join  me,  gentlemen  !"  at  the  village 
tavern,  he  pulled  out  a  handful  of  coins, 
slapped  them  down  on  the  counter,  and 
grandly  told  the  awe-struck  vender,  "Pay 
yourself  out  o'  that !" 

After  one  of  these  meetings  the  soul  of 
Paul  would  be  filled  with  unrest.  Th^  oxen 
as  they  pulled  the  plow  or  harrow,  seemed 
with  their  wooden  yokes,  their  tedious  gait, 
their  stupid  endurance  of  blows  and  curses, 
to  be  a  type  of  himself.  The  pitchfork  began 
to  weigh  a  ton,  the  armsful  of  stove  wood 
weighed  down  his  sensitive  being,  while  the 
odors  of  the  hog-pens,  and  of  the  chicken- 
coops  became  unendurable.  The  crimson- 
robed  west  wooed  him  to  her  arms,  and  he 
yielded. 

Loud  were  the  complaints  of  father  and 
mother  when  he  finally  announced  his  inten- 
tion. There  was  no  one  to  tend  the  "critters" 
if  he  left ;  his  own  particular  colt  would  be 
ruined  without  his  personal  attention  ;  and 
besides  all  that,  the  old  man  had  expected  to 


THE   GAMBLER.  II 

hire  the  twenty-acre  field  of  Deacon  Hopeful 
for  the  next  season  to  raise  a  crop  of  flax,  and 
if  Paul  went  away,  he  would  have  to  give 
it  up. 

Nevertheless,  Paul  persisted,  and  finally 
went.  There  was  a  cousin  of  the  family  in 
the  Western  town  of  Burst,  and  this  cousin 
was  made  the  objective  point  of  Paul's 
journey.  He  sold  his  colt,  and  secured 
money  enough  to  purchase  a  railway  ticket ; 
the  old  lady,  who  was  sniffling  grievously  as  he 
was  leaving,  furtively  slipped  six  half  dollars, 
four  quarters,  and  some  dimes  and  nickels  in- 
to his  hand,  and  thus  he  was  supplied  with 
ample  funds. 

It  was  not  a  joyful  separation.  The  old 
man  pottered  around  grumpy  and  silent  save 
an  undertone  of  muttering  ;  several  neighbors 
were  on  hand  and  overwhelmed  him  with 
directions  and  advice;  and  the  little  sister  flew 
about  and  fluttered  and  piped  with  grief  like 
a  wounded  bird. 

His  small  trunk  and  himself  were  hoisted 
into  the  wagon  of  a  farmer  who  was  going  to 
town  with  a  "jag"  of  barley;  and  amidst  a 
hurricane  of  "  Good-bye,"  and  "  Be  a  good 
boy  !  " — the  last  from  the  maternal  lips — the 


12  THE   GAMBLER. 

farmer  whipped  up  his  nags,  and  Paul  dis- 
appeared in  a  cloud  of  country  dust. 

In  due  season  he  was  landed  at  the  famous 
town  of  Burst,  in  which  lived  his  cousin. 
The  latter  was  a  station  agent,  had  a  wife 
and  six  children,  lived  in  a  small  house,  was 
in  receipt  of  only  a  moderate  salary,  and 
naturally  was  not  overcome  with  joy  over  the 
arrival  of  his  Eastern  kinsman.  However,  he 
invited  the  traveler  to  his  house,  assuring 
him  that  he  was  welcome  if  it  did  crowd 
them  ;  that  they  could  get  along  for  a  night 
somehow,  even  if  they  had  to  double  up,  or 
even  sleep  three  in  a  bed,  and  take  turns  at 
the  table,  and  then  remarked  that  just  now 
times  were  hard  and  money  scarce,  and  there 
wasn't  much  doing,  and  no  chance  for  a  poor 
man,  any  way. 


THE   GAMBLER.  1 3 


II. 

A   TOWN    WITH   A  BOOM. 

Paul  Calkins  looked  around  him  when  he 
rose  the  next  morning  in  Prairie  City.  There 
was  one  main  street  with  wooden  sidewalks, 
one  brick  building  in  which  were  the  bank, 
four  saloons,  a  general  store,  a  livery  stable, 
a  wooden  "  hotel,"  seven  one-story  frame- 
houses,  on  the  fronts  of  which  were  signs 
affording  information  of  choice  acre  and 
building  lots,  farms  for  sale,  and  money 
loaned  on  real  estate.  At  various  distances 
from  the  single  street  were  houses  scattei-ed 
over  the  prairie,  a  couple  of  small  white 
wooden  churches,  one  pretentiously  rearing 
a  spire,  and  the  other  with  the  base  of  a  con- 
templated steeple  unbuilt,  and  which  looked 
like  the  stump  of  a  finger  pointing  upward  ; 
and  a  gorgeous  schoolhouse  of  brick,  with  a 
dome  and  French  roof. 


14  THE   GAMBLER. 

As  far  as  his  eye  could  take  in  the  sur- 
rounding prairie,  it  was  a  dead  level,  without 
a  house,  a  fence,  a  plowed  field,  or  an  im- 
provement of  any  kind  in  sight. 

"This  is  a  great  town,"  said  his  cousin,  as, 
after  their  morning  meal  they  strolled  over 
to  the  station.  "What  do  you  think  that  lot 
is  worth  ?"  asked  he  as  he  indicated  a  vacant 
piece  of  prairie — vacant  save  as  to  scores  of 
old  tomato  and  meat  cans,  a  couple  of  dead 
dogs,  and  the  hind-axle  and  wheels  of  a 
broken-down  wagon,  without  fence  or  other 
indication  of  improvement. 

Paul  ran  over  in  his  mind  the  value  of  land 
in  his  native  region,  and  recalling  that 
some  of  the  best  in  that  country  was 
held  at  the  enormous  figure  of  one  hundred 
dollars  an  acre,  concluded  that  it  would  be 
only  complimentary  to  his  relative  to  place 
the  figure  on  the  vacant  lot  as  high  as  that 
on  the  improved  farms  in  his  own  section. 
And  so  he  answered  : 

"  I  guess  about  a  hundred  dollars  an  acre. 
There's  about  a  quarter  of  an  acre  in  that  lot, 
and  it  might  be  worth  two  hundred  and 
fifty." 

"Two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars!"  repeated 


THE  GAMBLER.  1 5 

the  station-agent  with  supreme  scorn.  "Why, 
that  property  is  held  at  one  thousand  dollars 
the  front  foot!" 

"What!"  Paul's  eyes  were  so  pushed  out 
with  wonder  that  they  had  the  appearance  of 
a  large  lorgnette.     "  You're  joking!" 

"  No  sir'ee,  I  aint !  Why,  look  at  the  lot 
on  which  that  brick  building  stands!  That 
is  held  a  good  deal  higher.  That  piece  of 
property  there  where  the  saloon  is,  was  sold 
as  it  stands,  for  ten  thousand  dollars." 

Paul  glanced  at  the  little  wooden  shanty 
with  a  high,  false  front,  and  couldn't  under 
stand  it.  "  I  don't  see  how  it  can  be  so  high. 
Father  bought  an  acre  with  a  house  and  car- 
penter shop  on  it,  only  a  hundred  rods  from 
the  Corners,  and  got  it  for  one  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars." 

"  Oh,  this  aint  the  East,"  said  the  other 
scornfully.  "  You're  played  out  down  there. 
Here  is  the  coming  country,  the  great  center 
of  population  and  business!" 

"  But  what  is  there  to  make  this  town  so 
valuable?" 

"Everything!  In  the  first  place  we  are  on 
the  great  Inter-Oceanic  railway  which,  when 
finished,  will  reach  from  sea  to  sea.     Then  a 


l6  THE  GAMBLER. 

road  is  projected  from  the  great  valley  of  the 
Pratt  River  which  will  tap  the  line  at  this 
point,  and  will  give  an  outlet  to  the  soda 
beds  and  coal  fields  of  the  Wyoming  mineral 
region.  Another  line  is  being  thought  of  to 
the  Southwest  which  will  connect  us  with  the 
cattle  lands  of  Texas,  and  the  arable  lands  of 
Arizona.  Why,  sir,  this  is  bound  to  be  the 
great  center  and  distributing  point  of  the 
trans-Mississippi  region." 

**  Have  you  any  sawmills  or  flour  mills?'' 
"  Not  yet,  but  they're  a  coming.  A  move- 
ment is  on  foot  to  bring  the  shops  of  the  line 
to  this  town,  and  to  move  them  from  the 
worthless  town  of  Sky-high,  where  they  are 
at  present.  All  this  region  around  here,  as 
far  as  you  can  see,  is  the  best  grazing  and 
farming  land  in  the  world.  It  is  all  taken  up, 
and  is  worth  already  two  hundred  dollars 
an  acre." 

Paul  glanced  over  the  surrounding  region. 
There  was  not  a  vestige  of  improvement  in 
sight,  from  horizon  to  horizon.  The  dense 
population  that  was  to  fill  this  fertile  and  for- 
tunate area,  was  all  in  the  future.  It  made 
him  dizzy  as  he  attempted  to  comprehend  all 
the  teeming  possibilities  of  the  favored  cen- 


THE   GAMBLER.  I7 

ter.  He  saw  in  imagination  a  great  city, 
incoming  and  outgoing  trains,  the  smoke  of 
innumerable  manufactories,  and  heard  the 
roar  of  vast  multitudes. 

That  night  as  he  slept  in  a  shake-down  on 
the  sitting  room  f^oor,  visions  of  wealth  filled 
his  dreams,  and  he  saw  himself  the  possessor 
of  corner  lots  for  whose  possession  great 
crowds  of  people  struggled,  and  with  out- 
stretched hands  tendered  him  bags  of  gold. 
He  awoke,  fevered  and  restless,  and  deter- 
mined to  become  the  possessor  of  some  of 
the  precious  real  estate. 

For  two  or  three  days  he  was  treated  by 
the  business  men  of  the  town,  to  whom  he 
was  introduced,  with  distinguished  consid- 
eration. 

"  Ah,  Mr.  Calkins,  happy  to  know  you. 
From  the  East,  I  believe!  You  have  struck 
just  the  right  place,  sir.  No  point  in  the 
West  offers  such  facilities  as  the  town  of 
Burst.  Real  estate  is  doubling  up  every  six 
months,  and  operators  are  making  fortunes 
in  a  year.  Here,  for  instance,''  pointing  to 
a  map  on  the  wall  showing  streets,  addi- 
tions, boulevards,  parks,  court-house  square, 
churches,  and  schoolhouses — "  is  a  map  of 
2 


1 8  THE  GAMBLER. 

Burst.  That  lot  there  was  sold  last  week  for 
eighty-five  dollars  a  front  foot,  and  the  pur- 
chaser is  about  to  erect  a  business  block  of 
brick,  four  stories  high,  and  with  all  modern 
improvements.  Right  next  to  this  property  is 
a  choice  piece  which  is  owned  by  an  Eastern 
man  who  has  just  failed  in  his  business,  and 
must  sell  this  property  at  a  sacrifice.  It  can 
be  had  for  nothing,  sir!  No  such  bargain 
was  ever  before  offered!  Why,  sir,  you  will 
not  believe  me  when  I  tell  you  that  I  am 
authorized  to  sell  these  lots  at  seventy-five 
dollars  a  foot!  It  is  really  a  shame  to  sacri- 
fice such  a  splendid  property.  It  is  just  the 
thing  for  you.  One-half  down,  the  balance 
to  run  five  years  on  a  mortgage  at  eight  per 
cent,  a  month.  It  is  hterally  cheap  as  dirt. 
What  do  you  say?" 

Paul  thought,  but  did  not  state,  that  such 
was  the  condition  of  his  finances,  that  he 
could  not  have  paid  cash  down  for  more 
than  a  quart  or  two  of  the  precious  soil,  but 
he  pleaded  that  he  would  look  over  the  mat- 
ter and  give  his  decision  later. 

Successively  he  was  offered  all  four  of  the 
saloons,  the  hotel,  a  butcher's  shop  and  any 
number  of  vacant  lots  at  a  tremendous  bar- 


THE   GAMBLER.  19 

gain.  He  was  very  much  interested,  but 
declined  to  come  to  terms  for  reasons  satis- 
factory to  himself. 

Meanwhile,  his  hospitable  cousin,  althou2:h 
constantly  assuring  Paul  that  he  was  wel- 
come to  stay  when  he  hinted  about  going, 
was  evidently  a  little  uneasy.  Then  Paul 
thought  he  would  secure  some  emplo3'mcnt. 
There  ought  to  be  no  difficultv.  he  con- 
cluded, in  getting  something  paying  to  do  in 
so  flourishing  a  place^  and  one  with  so  mar- 
velous prospects.  The  extreme  suavity  and 
cordiality  of  the  men  to  whom  he  had  been 
introduced,  led  him  to  believe  that  an  appli- 
cation to  any  one  of  them  would  result  in  an 
immediate  engagement. 

The  first  one  on  whom  he  called  was  the 
gentleman  who  had  offered  tosacrifice  the  lots 
of  the  bankrupt  Eastern  manufacturer  for 
Paul's  exclusive  benefit.  When  Paul  entered 
somewhat  hesitatingly  the  office  of  the  dealer, 
the  latter  jumped  from  his  seat,  came  forward 
with  extended  hand,  while  a  broad,  sunny 
smile  irradiated  his  yellow  visage,  and  said  : 

"How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Calkins?  What 
beautiful  weather  we  are  having!"  (It  was 
blowing  a  gale  whose  icy  lances  went  through 


20  THE   GAMBLER. 

and  through  the  shivering  frame  of  the  vis- 
itor). "We  always  have  such  magnificent 
weather  in  this  section  !  No  malaria  here, 
no  consumption,  no  ague  !  Ah,  it  is  delight- 
ful !"  And  he  swelled  out  his  chest  with  an 
inspiration  of  air,  as  if  it  were  as  stimulating 
as  champagne. 

"  I  suppose  you  have  called  to  close  out 
that  trade,  this  morning?  You  are  a  lucky 
dog  !  Since  you  were  in  yesterday,  no  less 
than  sixteen  different  men  have  been  in 
trying  to  get  that  same  property.  They  even 
offered  an  advance  over  the  price  I  agreed  to 
let  you  have  it  at,  but  I  refused.  To  be  sure, 
there  was  no  binding  agreement  between  me 
and  you,  but  1  refused  to  listen  to  them,  as  I 
considered  myself  in  honor  bound  to  stick  to 
my  offer." 

Poor  Paul  listened  with  throbbing  heart, 
and  a  face  that  began  to  show  flashes  of  crim- 
son. He  at  first  concluded  that  he  would 
make  some  excuse  and  go  away  without 
broaching  the  question  of  employment ;  and 
then  determined  that  he  viust  make  a  begin- 
ning at  this  point.  It  occurred  to  him  that 
the  man  had  shown  himself  so  friendly  and 
so  anxious  to  benefit  him,  he  probably  would 


THE   GAMBLER.  21 

be  glad  to  assist  him  to  obtain  employment. 
On  the  spur  of  the  thought  he  said  : 

"  I  am  not  really  just  now  in  a  condition  to 
purchase  any  real  estate.  I  am  a  farmer's  son 
who  has  come  west  to  seek  his  fortune  in  your 
new  and  glorious  country,  and  what  I  now 
want  is  some  employment — " 

At  this  point  he  hesitated  and  stopped.  A 
change  had  been  rapidly  passing  over  the 
countenance  of  his  listener.  The  innumerable 
wrinkles  all  over  his  face  which  had  done 
yeoman  service  as  co-adjutants  of  a  smile,  sud- 
denly resolved  themselves  into  a  frown,  while 
his  brows  were  corrugated  and  his  lips  closed 
firmly  against  his  teeth. 

"  What  !  You  don't  want  to  buy  any  prop- 
erty ?  You're  no  capitalist  looking  for  invest- 
ment? And  all  you  want  is  a  job  of  work? 
Good  God!  what  deceit!  Young  man,  you 
have  grossly  deceived  me  !  You  have 
wounded  me  !  No  sir  !  you  can't  get  any  job 
here.  Get  out;  you  have  outrageously  mis- 
led me  !     Good-morning,  sir." 

Humiliated  beyond  expression,  Paul,  re- 
straining an  ardent  desire  to  throttle  the  old 
wretch,  walked  out  into  the  street.  He  then, 
within  the  next  few  days,  made  the  rounds  of 


22  THE   GAMBLER. 

the  town,  inquiring  in  each  place  of  business 
for  employment.  Some  gave  him  an  insolent 
refusal;  others  thought  they  might  need  help 
when  the  fall  trade  began  to  come  in.  AH 
who  offered  any  remarks  beyond  a  curt  re- 
fusal, said  it  was  a  dull  season  ;  that  they  had 
never  known  anything  just  like  it,  and  hadn't 
as  much  to  do  as  they  could  attend  to  them- 
selves. 

He  had  a  trifle  better  luck  at  the  "  hotel." 
The  landlord  had  heard  his  request  and  after 
looking  the  applicant  over  critically,  said  : 

"  Wall,  I  dunno.  Mebbe  there  may  be 
suthin'.  Pete  has  been  on  a  bender  for  three 
months,  and  isn't  no  good  any  more.  I  think 
I'll  kick  him  out.  There  aint  much  to  do, 
and  I  can't  afford  these  dull  times  to  pay  you 
anything.  You  can  come  and  board  an' 
lodge  and  wait  around  till  somethin'  better 
turns  up." 

This  was  not  all  that  was  in  the  enthusi- 
astic dreams  of  Paul  when  he  resolved  to  go 
West,  and  seek  his  fortune;  but  it  was  "  Hob- 
son's  choice,"  that  or  nothing.  He  deter- 
mined to  accept  the  place  till  he  could  look 
around  and  find  something  better. 

He  cleaned,  trimmed  and  lighted  the  lamps; 


THE   GAMLiLER. 


23 


he  went  to  the  train  to  meet  an  occasional 
traveler  ;  he  attended  to  the  fires  ;  swept  out 
the  pubUc  room,  dusted  the  furniture,  and 
made  himself  generally  useful. 

And  this  was  the  initial  step  of  Paul  Calk- 
ins' taken  in  his  march  toward  good  or  bad 
fortune  in  the  great  West.  It  was  along  dis- 
tance to  his  goal,  and  for  the  present,  he  was 
compelled  as  soldiers  do,  to  "  mark  time," 
which  means  motion  without  advance. 


24  THE   GAMBLER. 


III. 

HE   IMPROVES   HIS  OPPORTUNITIES. 

"  Inter-Oceanic  hotel,  sir?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Any  baggage  ?" 

"  Only  this  sample  case." 

This  conversation  occurred  one  day  at 
Burst  station,  between  Paul,  the  runner  of 
the  Inter-Oceanic  hotel,  and  a  middle-sized 
young  man  who  dismounted  from  the  west- 
ward-bound train.  The  latter  was  about 
twenty-three,  with  a  light,  active  figure,  a 
swarthy  complexion,  dark  hair,  keen  black 
eyes,  a  mouth  with  full,  sensual  lips,  and  a 
nose  that  just  leaned  in  the  direction  of  the 
aquiline.  He  spoke  in  a  musical  voice  with 
rapidity  and  emphasis. 

It  was  in  January,  and  the  traveler  was 
warmly  wrapped  in  a  heavy  overcoat,  richly 
furred  at  the   cuffs   and  collar.     He    wore  a 


THE   GAMBLER.  25 

seal-skin  cap,  and  thus  clad,  with  a  moustache 
that  curled  up  at  the  ends,  he  was  a  hand- 
some, dashing,  rakish  young  fellow  in  appear- 
ance, with  an  expression  of  entire  self-satis- 
faction on  his  mobile  countenance. 

Reaching  the  hotel,  he  wrote  on  the  thin 
book  of  registry  in  a  bold,  handsome  script, 
the  name — 

"John  Lafarge,  Chicago." 

He  did  not  add  "  111,,''  after  the  name  of 
the  city.  No  Chicago  resident  ever  does. 
Chicago  stands  by  itself,  and  to  place  the 
name  of  the  Slate  after  it  would  be  to  lower 
the  dignity  of  the  city. 

"  Fine  town  you've  got  here,"  he  remarked 
ironically  as  he  surveyed  the  rutted  and  frozen 
streets,  the  cheap  wooden  houses  and  the 
illimitable  stretch  of  prairie.  "  Why,  look  at 
it !"  he  continued  indignantly  ;  "  I  was  told 
by  a  business  man  in  Chicago  who  owns  some 
property  here,  that  Burst  is  the  finest  town 
between  the  Missouri  River  and  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  He's  never  been  here,  that's  cer- 
tain. Where  are  all  the  business  houses  which 
he  told  me  of  ?  He  said  I  could  put  in  a  week 
here  and  find  business  humping  every  minute. 
I   can  go  through  every  house   in   town  in 


26  THE    GAMBLER. 

twenty  minutes.  I'll  do  it,  and  leave  on  the 
next  train." 

The  next  train  did  not  appear  on  time.  A 
sudden  blizzard,  accompanied  by  a  heavy 
snow,  went  howling  over  the  desolate  prairies 
and  obstructed  railway  travel.  It  was  two 
days  before  the  visitor  was  able  to  leave 
Burst. 

During  this  period  the  commercial  traveler 
was  ill  at  ease.  There  was  but  one  girl  who 
waited  on  the  *table,  and  she  was  at  once 
stoop-shouldered,  heavy-jawed,  viragoish  in 
expression,  and  withal  suspicious  apparently 
of  the  purity  of  the  motives  of  the  male  sex. 
She  scowled  savagely  at  the  drummer,  evi- 
dently looking  on  him  as  an  exceedingly 
dangerous  young  man  who  should  be  assidu- 
ously guarded  against  at  the  very  outset. 

Thus  debarred  from  one  of  the  most  com- 
mon and  interesting  diversions  of  the  drum- 
mer, that  of  flirting  with  the  dining-room 
girls,  Lafarge  was  horribly  enniiie . 

"  Isn't  there  any  pretty  girls  in  Burst?"  he 
would  inquire  impatiently  of  Paul,  as  he 
gazed  dismally  through  the  narrow  window 
frames,  and  saw  everywhere  only  the  falling, 
driving  snow. 


THE   GAMBLER.  2/ 

"  \es,  one  or  two,  but  they  are  all  snowed 
in." 

During  the  course  of  the  evening  Paul  went 
into  Lafarge's  i  oom  with  some  fuel,  when  the 
other  suddenly  broke  out: 

"  Say,  young  fellow,  can  you  play  any  games 
of  cards  ?'' 

"  Not  many.  1  learned  to  play  old  sledge 
in  the  haymow  when  I  was  a  boy,  and  since 
then  I've  picked  up  a  little  euchre." 

"  Can  you  play  poker?" 

"No." 

"No?  Well,  now  you  go  and  get  a  box  of 
gun  wads,  some  coffee  beans,  kernels  of  corn, 
or  anything  that  we  can  count  with,  and  I'll 
teach  you  the  game.  A  young  man  in  the 
West  who  can't  play  poker  is  not  half  edu- 
cated." 

Nothmg  loth,  Paul  secured  the  requisite 
material  for  "chips,"  and  was  soon  initiated 
into  the  mysteries  of  the  great  American 
game.  "  I'm  mighty  sorry,"  said  his  instructor, 
"  that  you  haven't  any  '  stuff,' "  meaning 
thereby  cash,  "  but  even  a  game  for  corn  is 
better  than  none  at  all." 

Paul  proved  an  apt  student,  and  his  teacher, 
pleased  with  his  quick  appreciation,  his  ex- 


28  THE    GAMBLER. 

cellent  memory  and  willingness,  instructed 
him  in  all  the  minutise  of  the  game.  He  con- 
ceived somewhat  of  a  fancy  for  the  young 
man,  who  was  natural,  intelligent,  and  utterly 
unlike  the  average  hotel-runner. 

When  the  commercial  traveler  finally  found 
opportunity  to  leave,  he  shook  Paul's  hand 
warmly  as  he  was  getting  on  the  train,  and 
said  in  his  rapid,  cheery  manner : 

"So  long,  old  fellow!  Come  to  Chicago 
just  as  soon  as  you  can,  and  don't  rot  out  in 
this  infernal  wilderness.  You  know  my  ad- 
dress, and  if  you  ever  come  to  the  city,  come 
and  see  me." 

One  day,  some  months  later,  in  the  spring, 
his  relative,  the  station-agent,  rushed  into  the 
hotel  and  asked  for  Paul.  He  soon  found 
him,  and  all  excitement,  burst  out  with : 

"Paul,  3^our  time  has  come  at  last !  The 
brakeman  of  No.  65  fell  off  the  roof  of  a  car, 
and  is  badly  hurt.  They  have  laid  him  off, 
and  they  want  some  one  to  take  his  place. 
Come  right  along!  You  have  thirty  minutes 
before  the  freight  starts,  and  if  you  attend  to 
business,  as  I  know  you  will,  you'll  get  a 
job." 

In  a  brief  time  Paul  took  leave  of  the  land- 


THE   GAMBLKR.  29 

lord,  who  wished  him  much  luck,  and  within 
the  half  hour  was  an  employe  of  the  Intcr- 
Oceanic  system  of  railways. 

He  was  strong,  active,  fearless,  and  so  well 
did  he  perform  the  temporary  duties  assigned 
him  that,  on  the  report  of  the  conductor,  he 
was  given  a  permanent  place. 

It  might  possibly  be  of  interest  to  the 
reader  to  present  some  details  of  the  life  of 
Paul  as  a  brakeman.  One  might  speak  of 
the  arduous  character  of  his  labors,  of  the 
savage  storms  which  he  had  to  face,  the  icy 
car-tops  which  he  had  to  clamber  over  in  the 
darkness  of  midnight,  of  the  freezing  cold 
which  assailed  him  durmgthe  wmter  months  ; 
and  how,  in  a  quiet  way,  like  other  brave 
men  of  his  calling,  he  filled  an  unnoticed, 
albeit  a  heroic  part  in  the  great  system  with 
which  he  was  connected. 

During  all  this  period  he  was  saving,  frugal, 
abstemious,  and  he  soon  succeeded  in  clothing 
himself  in  good  shape,  and  in  accumulating  a 
snug  sum  of  money. 

The  advantages  of  Chicago  as  portrayed  in 
glowing  colors  by  Lafarge  had  never  faded 
from  his  mind,  and  Chicago  always  presented 
itself  as  the  Mecca  of  his  worship.     At  length 


30  THE   GAMBLER. 

he  earned  the  right,  to  ask  for  a  vacation  which 
was  readily  granted  him,  and  in  less  than  a 
week  thereafter  he  found  himself  in  the  Gar- 
den Citv. 


THE   GAMBLER.  31 


IV. 

A  COUNTRYMAN  IN  TOWN. 

It  was  his  first  visit  to  a  great  city  and  de- 
SDite  tiie  fervor  of  his  dreams  as  to  its  maafni- 
tude,  the  reahtv  was  far  in  advance  of  his  antic- 
ipations. 

The  first  impressions  produced  on  one  who 
stands  in  the  presence  of  London,  Paris,  or 
any  of  the  great  cities,  are  of  awe,  overwhelm- 
ing-, prostrating.  They  have  all  the  elements 
of  the  stupendous;  massiveness,  concentra- 
tion, vast  dimensions.  The  hum  of  their 
activity  vibrates  the  solid  earth.  There  is 
infinite  confusion  for  the  visitant  just  from  the 
country,  in  the  innumerable  streets,  the  mass 
of  vehicles,  and  the  crowds  of  hurrying  people. 

There  comes  to  such  a  stranger  at  once  the 
feeling  of  littleness  in  the  presence  of  such 
magnitude,  and  of  elasticity  as  he  witnesses 
the    rush   of   the    multitudes.     The   sluggish 


32  THE   GAMBLER. 

countryman,  the  moment  his  feet  strike  the 
pavements  of  the  city,  elevates  his  stooping 
shoulders,  quickens  his  step,  inspired  by  the 
atmosphere  of  energy  and  activity  which 
environs  him. 

As  Paul  rolled  along  in  the  omnibus  to  a 
hotel  he  was  dazed  by  the  shifting  panorama 
of  the  streets,  the  clamor  of  the  vehicles  on 
the  granite,  and  the  throngs  of  men  and  women 
on  the  sidewalks.  It  seemed  to  him  as  he 
saw  the  rush  of  the  people  that  there  must  be 
some  tremendous  thing  happening,  to  the 
scene  of  which  the  entire  population  was 
hurrying.  The  while,  there  penetrated  his 
soul  a  strange  and  powerful  exhilaration;  it 
was  the  passage  through  him  of  the  electricity 
generated  always  by  the  impact  and  fric- 
tion of  human  units. 

After  supper,  he  strolled  out  for  a  walk.  It 
was  nearly  eight  o'clock  and  the  sidewalks 
were  crowded  with  people  hurrying  to  places 
of  amusement.  Electric  lights  filled  the  night 
with  splendid  views  of  marble  facades,  the 
gorgeous  and  parti-colored  windows  of  the 
druggists,  and  the  variegated  entrances  of 
palatial  saloons.  It  was  a  scene  in  Fairyland, 
and  he  wandered  on  as  if  exhilarated  by  some 
intoxicating  potion. 


THE   GAMBLER.  33 

He  felt  a  light  tap  on  his  shoulder,  and 
glancing  to  his  side  he  saw  a  young  man  with 
a  grip-sack  in  one  hand  and  a  wallet  in  the 
other. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  the  young  man 
in  a  soft,  insinuating  voice,  "you've  dropped 
your  pocketbook.'' 

Paul  ran  his  hand  into  his  breast  pocket  and 
answered,  "No,  mine  is  all  right ;  I  haven't 
lost  one." 

"  Oh,  I  thought  you  must  have  dropped  it. 
Dear  me,  I'm  sorry!  What  would  you  do  if 
you  were  me?  I've  got  to  catch  a  train,  and 
I'm  a  stranger  in  town.  This  wallet  must  be 
a  valuable  one.  See!"  He  undid  the  clasp 
and  opened  the  covers  between  which  were 
many  greenback  bills,  and  also  papers. 

"My!  my!  what  shall  I  do?  I'm  on  my 
way  to  California,  and  I  must  go  on  this  train. 
Hold  on,  rUtell  you  what.  You  take  it.  You 
can  advertise  it  and  thus  find  the  owner.  And 
see  here,  there  will  be  a  reward  for  it  and  as 
I  am  only  a  poverty-struck  theological  student, 
I  would  be  glad  to  have  a  portion  of  the 
reward.  I'll  give  you  my  address,  and  you 
can  forward  the  amount  to  me." 
3 


34  THE   GAMBLER. 

He  began  to  fumble  in  his  coat  pockets  as 
if  for  a  card  and  pencil,  and  then  said : 

"  I'm  so  confused  !  Im  sure  I'll  miss  the 
train!  Say,  just  give  me  five  dollars  and  if 
there  is  any  more  of  it  my  share,  you  can  keep 
it. 

"  All  right ! "  said  Paul,  who  was  very  much 
impressed  with  the  conscientiousness  and 
honesty  of  the  young  student.  He  took  the 
wallet  and  was  about  to  open  it  when  the  other 
said  hastily : 

"No,  no!  don't  take  it  out  of  that!  When 
the  owner  calls  for  it  he  should  be  able  to  find 
the  contents  untouched,  and  the  same  bills 
that  were  in  it  when  he  lost  it." 

Paul  saw  the  justice  of  this  suggestion,  and 
pulling  out  his  own  roll  he  selected  one  of  the 
limited  number  of  fives  in  the  package,  and 
handed  it  to  the  student. 

"  Thank  you  !  God  bless  you,  young  man  ! 
I  should  judge  that  you  are  a  stranger  in  this 
great  city.  Look  out  for  swindlers  and  con- 
fidence men.  Luck  to  you  !  I  must  be  off, 
good-bye  !  "  and  he  rushed  away  and  was  soon 
lost  in  the  darkness. 

Paul  was  much  pleased  over  the  incident. 
He  would  find   the  owner  of  the  lost  wallet ; 


THE   GAMBLER.  35 

he  might  prove  to  be  some  wealthy  nabob  who, 
appreciative  of  the  honesty  of  the  findei, 
might  give  him  a  start  in  the  world.  That 
night  he  slept  with  the  precious  wallet  under 
his  pillow.  No  thief  was  going  to  deprive 
him  of  the  benefits  of  picking  up  this  treasure. 

When  he  woke  in  the  morning  his  first 
thought  was  as  to  the  wallet.  What  to  do 
he  did  not  know.  He  pondered  over  the 
matter  for  some  time,  and  then  suddenly 
bethought  himself  of  Lafarge.  He  had  his 
address;  he  would  go  and  see  him,  and  he 
would  advise  him  what  to  do. 

He  at  once  proceeded  to  put  his  idea  into 
effect.  By  several  inquiries  heat  last  reached 
a  building  on  Wabash  avenue  which  occupied 
nearly  an  entire  block,  and  was  a  half  dozen 
stories  in  height.  He  did  not  have  an}-  trouble 
to  find  Lafarge.  Before  he  entered  the  door 
he  discovered  that  gentleman  through  one  of 
the  plate-glass  windows  seated  in  a  chair  and 
tipped  back  so  that  his  heels  rested  on  a  pack- 
ing box  at  a  point  considerably  above  his 
head. 

Paul  walked  directly  up  to  the  other, 
stretched  out  his  hand,  and  said  : 

"  Mr.  Lafarge,  how  do  you  do?  " 


36  THE   GAMBLER. 

Instantly  Lafarge  straightened  up  his  chair 
with  such  celerity  that  he  nearly  upset  him- 
self, then  cordially  seized  the  hand  of  his  vis- 
itor and  warmly  ejaculated,  "How  do  you  do  ! 
how  do  you  do!  I'm  awfully  glad  to  see  you. 
VVhen'd  you  come  in?'' 

"Just  got  in  last  night." 

"  Oh,  last  night,  eh  ?  Where  you  stopping  ?" 

Paul  informed  him  of  the  name  of  the  cara- 
vansery  at  which  he  was  domiciled. 

It  was  very  evident  that  the  smiling  drum- 
mer, for  once,  was  "  off  his  base."  It  is  a 
cardinal  sin  on  the  part  of  one  of  his  profes- 
sion to  ever  forget  the  face  or  name  of  a  cus- 
tomer; and  yet  here  was  a  man  whom  he 
knew  to  be  a  country  acquaintance,  and  he 
could  not  recall  his  name,  or  even  the  bill  of 
goods  he  had  sold  him. 

Ashamed  to  confess  his  ignorance,  he  at- 
tempted to  gain  his  point  by  circumlocutory 
finesse. 

"How  did  you  leave  all  the  boys?"  he 
asked,  assuming  that  whoever  the  visitor 
might  be,  there  were  always  some  boys  in  the 
vicinity. 

"  All  the  same  as  usual." 

The    drummer    was    baflied.     He   had  ex- 


THE   GAMBLER.  37 

pected  that  when  he  asked  about  the  "  boys  " 
the  visitor  would  mention  the  name  or  pro- 
ceedings of  some  of  them,  which  would  give 
him  the  needed  clue.     He  tried  another  tack. 

"  What  road  did  you  come  in  on?'' 

"TheC.  Q.  X.  Y." 

The  road  thus  designated  with  its  branches, 
covers  half  the  continent.  Again  the  inter- 
locutor was  repulsed. 

A  brilliant  idea  seized  him, 

"  Let's  step  over  to  your  hotel  for  a  mo- 
ment. I  want  to  see  Johnson,  the  clerk."  He 
hurried  his  visitor  over  to  the  hotel,  nodded 
to  Johnson  familiarl}',  rmd  said,  "  I  see  you 
have  one  of  my  old  friends  here,"  indicating 
Paul  by  a  nod  over  his  shoulder,  "  and  you 
must  give  him  the  best  in  the  house.  By  the 
way,  does  your  room  suit  you  ?  If  not,  you 
must  have  one  that  does.  What  number  are 
you  in  ?" 

Paul  informed  him  that  No.  808  was  a  very 
good  room,  although  pretty  well  up,  and  as 
he  was  speaking  Lafarge  ran  his  eye  over  the 
page  of  the  register  for  the  day  before, 
saying : 

"  I  wonder  if  there  is  anybody  here  from 
Dakota." 


38  THE   GAMBLER. 

Opposite  808  he  read,  "Paul  Calkins,  Burst.'' 

"Well,  Paul,"  said  he  in  a  manner  as  if 
Paul  were  his  constant  associate,  and  he  knew 
his  name  as  well  as  that  of  his  brother,  "  how 
do  you  like  Chicago,  what  you  have  seen 
of  it?" 

Thej  chatted  about  matters  and  things  in 
Burst,  and  after  a  little  Paul  said  he  would 
like  to  get  his  advice  on  a  certain  matter. 

"Cert!''  said  the  drummer;  "what  is  it?" 

"  It  is  about  the  disposition  of  a  large  sum 
of  money  that  has  come  into  my  possession." 

Lafarge's  black  eyes  flashed.  "That  so? 
Well,  blaze  awa}'.  Anything  I  can  do  you're 
very  welcome  to,  Pm  sure." 

He  then  proceeded  to  relate  the  incident  of 
the  night  before  of  his  meeting  with  the  theo- 
logical student,  and  the  finding  of  a  heavily- 
laden  wallet.  At  the  beginning  of  the  narra- 
tion Lafarge's  face  indicated  intense  eagerness, 
but  it  speedily  changed  to  one  of  amusement, 
and  then  of  good-natured  contempt.  As  Paul 
carefully  pulled  out  the  precious  wallet,  the 
drummer  asked,  with  poorly  concealed  irony  : 

"  What  do  you  guess  is  the  amount  in  the 
wallet?" 

"  A  very  large  one,  I  have  no  doubt,  from 
the  bulky  appearance." 


THE   GAMBLER.  39 

"  And  what  do  you  suppose  the  ^^rateful 
owner  will  do  for  you  when  he  gets  back  his 
wealth?     Set  you  up  in  business,  eh?" 

"  Well,  I  don't  really  know,"  answered 
Paiil.  "  I  shall  at  least  expect  that  he  will 
make  good  the  five  dollars  I  gave  to  the 
student." 

"  Student !  Oh  my,  this  is  too  good !  Ha, 
ha,  ha!"  and  he  roared  with  laughter. 

Paul  watched  him  with  great  surprise. 
"  What  is  it?"  he  finally  asked  when  the  roar- 
ing drummer  stopped  for  want  of  breath. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  give  the  language  in 
which  Lafarge  characterized  poor  Paul,  or 
the  humiliation  and  chagrin  of  the  latter 
when  he  learned  that  he  had  been  the  victim 
of  a  venerable  swindle. 

"However,"  said  Lafarge,  "it  wont  hurt 
you.  Five  dollars  is  not  a  large  amount  to 
pay  for  the  lesson.  From  this  out,  you  will 
have  your  eye  teeth  cut,  and  will  be  on  the 
lookout  for  young  theological  students,  and 
other  confidence  operators," 


40  THE   GAMBLER. 


V. 

HE  INSPECTS  THE  CITY. 

Paul  kept  his  "weather  eye"  open  after 
this,  and  was  on  the  constant  lookout  for 
breakers.  He  was  two  or  three  times  seized 
by  the  hand  by  affable  young  men  who  ad 
dressed  him  as  Mr.  Johns()n,  and  who  mis- 
took him  as  an  old  acquaintance  from  Osh- 
kosh,  and  who  handsomely  apologized  when 
assured  that  they  were  mistaken.  The  fact 
that  Paul,  in  these  cases,  while  stating  his 
real  name  always  gave  the  little  town  in  the 
East  as  his  residence,  effectively  prevented 
the  bunko  operators  from  carrying  out  their 
projects.  There  were  no  means  by  which 
they  could  claim  an  acquaintance  with  any- 
body in  that  remote  locality. 

Paul  was  an  ingenuous  youth  and  im- 
mensely susceptible  to  the  smiles,  bright 
eyes,  and  shapely  foot  of  a  pretty  woman. 


THE   GAMBLER.  41 

He  was  sufficiently  well  formed  and  hand- 
some to  have  an  excellent  opinion  of  his 
attractions;  and  hence,  he  was  not  at  all 
astonished,  albeit,  much  gratified  to  discover 
that  many  women  whom  he  encountered  on 
the  street  regarded  him  with  marked  evi- 
dences of  interest.  Often  would  he  meet  a 
couple  of  girls  who  would  gaze  at  him  with 
undisguised  admiration,  looking  him  straight 
in  the  eyes  with  a  freedom  and  a  strength 
that  would  bring  a  blush  to  his  cheek,  and  a 
shrinking  sensation  about  his  heart. 

Accustomed  all  his  life  to  the  sturdy  figures 
of  the  country  lasses,  to  their  sunbrowned 
complexion,  substantial  hands  and  their  not 
always  well-fitting  garments,  the  slenderness, 
sprightliness,  trim  garb,  bright  and  languish- 
ing eyes  of  the  city  belles,  produced  on  him 
a  marvelous  effect.  They  seemed  beings  of 
a  finer  mould  than  those  he  had  known  all 
his  life,  and  he  worshiped  them  in  accord- 
ance with  this  superior  estimate. 

He  visited  the  theaters,  and  if  his  admira- 
tion was  excited  by  the  women  whom  he  met 
on  the  street,  he  was  enraptured  by  the  di- 
vinities whom  he  saw  on  the  stage.  All  the 
arts    of    the    toilette,    assisted    by    the    gor- 


42  THE   GAMBLER. 

geous  surroundings,  and  the  artistically  ar- 
ranged lights,  gave  to  the  heroines  of  the 
stage  a  beauty  which  to  him  seemed  more 
than  earthly.  It  was  something  supreme, 
divine. 

The  realism  of  the  ballet,  with  its  rounded 
limbs,  swelling  busts,  gleaming  arms,  with 
its  ravishing  poses,  its  graceful  movements, 
its  rhythmic  advances  and  retreats,  its  tender 
wooings,  and  scornful  repulses,  affected  him 
until  the  sensuous  chords  of  his  nature 
thrilled  like  the  strings  of  a  fingered  harp. 

It  was  a  fairy  world  into  which  he  had 
been  thrown.  A  world  which  far  exceeded 
in  its  splendor  the  wildest  and  most  extrava- 
gant of  his  dreams.  Often  while  at  the  play 
did  he  believe  that  the  heroine  of  the  drama 
distinguished  him  among  the  upturned  faces  ; 
and  again  and  again  was  he  certain  that  in 
her  careless  glance  over  the  audience  the  eye 
of  the  premiere  danseuse  had  dwelt  for  a 
single  instant  on  his  glowing  face. 

Ah,  glorious  youth  !  Youth,  with  its  ef- 
fusiveness, its  exquisite  sensitiveness,,  its  im- 
pressiveness,  its  susceptibility  !  Youth  which 
suspects  not,  dreams  not  of  the  agency  of 
bran  in  the  shapely  ankle,  of  carmine  on  the 


THE    CAMTJLER.  43 

g'lowing  cheek,  of  belladonna  in  the  languish- 
ing eyes,  ot  pencil-point  in  the  arched  eye- 
brows and  in  the  long  lashes  behind  which 
the  mischievous  orbs  play  bo-peep! 

One  night  after  having  been  to  the  theater, 
Paul  started  for  a  walk  to  cool  his  heated 
blood.  It  was  close  to  midnight,  and  the 
streets  in  the  vicinity  of  the  place  of  amuse- 
ment were  thronged  with  theater  audiences. 
He  turned  into  a  deserted  side  street  to 
escape  the  jam,  and  strolled  leisurely  in  the 
direction  of  the  courthouse.  It  was  an  hour 
when  the  moon,  at  its  full,  shone  with  a 
silvered  brightness  that  revealed  ever3^thing 
with  a  distinct  fidelity.  Just  then  a  light 
footstep  came  tapping  along  behind  him,  and 
then  there  swiftly  passed  him  the  slender 
figure  of  a  woman. 

A  cloth  cloak,  close-fitting,  showed  a  deli- 
cate and  yet  perfect  figure.  The  feathered 
hat  was  wound  with  a  veil  which  covered  the 
upper  portion  of  her  face  as  if  to  prevent 
recognition  on  the  part  of  the  public.  In  her 
hand  she  carried  a  package  wrapped  in  pa- 
per, and  which  seemed  too  heavy  for  one  of 
her  slender  build.  Paul  saw  the  figure  as  it 
passe.l,  and  thought  how   late  it   was  for  so 


44  THE    GAMBLER. 

young  a  girl  to  be  abroad  in  the  streets  of  a 
great  city,  and  sympathized  with  her  in  her 
apparent  loneliness. 

She  passed  him  with  a  swiftness  which  in- 
dicated her  fear  of  his  presence  in  the  lonely 
place,  reached  the  corner  some  distance  ahead 
of  him,  crossed  to  the  middle  of  the  street, 
then  halted,  hesitated  a  moment,  turned,  and 
came  back  directly  toward  Paul.  She  searched 
her  pocket  as  she  came,  and  as  she  reached 
near  him,  she  stopped,  glanced  at  him,  started 
again,  stopped  once  more,  and  wheeling  about 
faced  him,  and  as  she  did  so  threw  up  her 
veil,  revealing  a  most  charming  face,  and  eyes 
that  were  swimming  with  tears. 

"  Oh,  sir  !"  she  said,  and  then  her  voice  was 
interrupted  with  sobs. 

Paul  was  immediately  interested  in  this  pic- 
ture of  distress,  and  inquired  kindly  : 

"  What  is  it,  miss?  Can  I  do  anything  for 
you  ?" 

"  Yes.  I  fear  I've  lost  my  purse,  and  can't 
pay  my  car-fare,  and  shall  have  to  walk  home. 
I'm  so  afraid  ;  it's  so  late,  and  so  many  wicked 
people  are  out  this  time  of  night!" 

Paul  was  about  to  volunteer  the  price  of 
car-fare  or  his  escort   to  her  home,   when  a 


THE   GAMBLER.  45 

voice  suddenly  broke  the  momentary  stillness. 

"  Here,  now!  None  o'  yer  thrickson  trav- 
elers !    Be  off  wid  yerself,  or  Oi'll  run  you  in." 

At  the  same  moment  a  blue-coated,  brass- 
buttoned  giant  issued  from  a  recess  in  the 
corner  building,  holding  in  his  hand  a  club 
which  he  swung  vigorously  in  order  to  give 
emphasis  to  his  remarks.  Paul  glanced  at 
him  for  an  instant,  and  then  turned  to  look  at 
the  girl.  He  was  just  in  time  to  see  her  scur- 
rying like  a  quail  along  the  sidewalk,  and  dis- 
appear in  an  alley. 

"  Why,"  said  Paul,  "that  lady—" 

"  That  lady !''  repeated  the  policeman  with 
a  tone  of  intense  scorn.  "  That  lady  !  begod 
that's  good!  Oh,  come  off!  Ye'd  better  go 
home  yerself,"  said  the  guardian  of  the  night, 
after  looking  steadily  for  a  moment  into 
Paul's  face.  "  An'  whin  ye  git  there,  ye'd 
best  stay  there  an'  attend  to  feedin'  the  pigs 
an'  the  chickens." 

A  great  wave  of  humiliation  swept  over 
Paul  ;  and  bitterly  reproaching  himself  for 
his  stupidity,  he  went  to  his  hotel  and  to  bed, 
where  he  lay  and  cursed  himself  for  an  idiot 
till  lonof  after  midnisfht. 


46  THE   GAMBLER. 


VI. 

A  DETOUR  TO  SLAUGHTER  HOLLER. 

Meanwhile  something-  of  importance  had 
occurred  down  in  Slaughter  Holler,  the  na- 
tive town  of  Paul.  One  day  there  straggled 
into  the  neighborhood  an  invalid  geologist 
laden  with  a  hammer  for  chipping  rocks,  and 
a  bale  of  medicines,  for  his  dyspepsia.  He  was 
from  a  college  many  miles  away,  and  had 
been  ordered  by  his  medical  adviser  to  go 
into  the  country  for  a  month,  and  to  climb 
hills,  and  to  eat  the  food  of  the  farmers — 
boiled  pork  and  rye-and  Injin  bread. 

A  small  stream  cut  through  the  Calkins 
farm,  leaving  exposed  here  and  there  walls  of 
slate  to  which  the  economical  children  of  the 
neighborhood  had  from  time  immemorial  re- 
sorted for  material  for  "  cipherin'-pencils." 
The  invalid  geologist  happened  by  sheer  ac- 
cident, one  day,  in  nosing  around,  to  cncoun- 


THE   GAMBLER.  47 

ter  this  wall  of  rock.  He  replaced  his  spec> 
tacles  which  had  been  jarred  off  by  his  head  by 
coming  in  contact  with  a  projecting  shelf,  and 
then  looked  angrily  at  the  obstacle  against 
which  he  had  bumped.  He  saw  it  was  a  dark, 
laminated  mass,  and  with  his  hammer  he 
broke  off  a  scale  which  he  felt  of  with  thumb 
and  finger,  tasted  of  it  with  the  tip  of  his 
tongue  and  smelt  of  with  his  nose.  Then  he 
bit  off  a  little  morsel,  which  he  proceeded  to 
chew. 

"  Fissile,  clayey,  argillaceous !"  he  ex- 
claimed. He  pried  off  a  thin  layer  with  a 
small  chisel,  and  balancing  it  on  his  finger,  he 
tapped  it  lightly  with  his  hammer,  meanwhile 
listening  intently  with  an  inclined  ear;  having 
smelt,  felt,  tasted  of  it,  he  was  now  trying  to 
hear  it. 

"  Has  the  right  ring,"  he  said,  and  then  he 
brought  the  remaming  sense  into  operation, 
and  carefully  looked  over  the  mass. 

"  The  lines  of  stratification  have  no  refer- 
ence to  those  of  cleaveage,"  he  soliloquized 
in  an  audible  tone,  "  although  this  often  oc- 
curs in  true  slate.  It  has  the  right  color, 
hardness,  and  it  cannot  be  that  it  is  schist.'' 

He  took  some  specimens  away    with   him, 


48  THE   GAMBLER. 

and  that  evening  astonished  the  wife  of  his 
farmer  host  by  asking  for  a  kettle  of  water  in 
which  he  put  some  black  pieces  of  stone, 
and  then  placed  it  on  the  stove  to  boil.  Af- 
ter a  time  he  took  the  pieces,  examined  them 
carefully  with  a  microscope,  placed  them  in 
the  hot  oven  of  the  stove,  baked  them  for  an 
hour,  and  then  put  them  to  soak  in  cold  water. 

"  My  gracious  me  !"  said  the  lady  that  night 
to  her  husband,  when  they  had  sought  the 
seclusion  of  their  bedroom,  "  what  on  airth 
was  that  professor  man  tryin'  to  do  with  them 
stones?  He  biled,  roasted  'em  and  put  'em 
to  soak  just  as  reg'lar  as  if  they'd  a-been 
suthin'  to  eat!" 

"  Mighty  queer,  them  city  chaps  !"  was  the 
response  of  the  husband.  "  They're  alius 
pokin'  aroun',  nobody  knows  wot  fur,  and  as 
fur  me,  I  don't  care  a  darn,  nohow  !" 

As  for  the  professor,  he  vouchsafed  no  in- 
formation. His  dyspepsia  soon  after  seemed 
to  disappear,  and  he  at  once  followed  its 
example. 

It  was  not  many  moons  after  this  incident 
that  a  surprising  increase  in  woodchucks,  or 
rather  in  woodchucks'  holes,  was  discovered 
by  one  of  the  neighboring  boys. 


THE   GAMBLER. 


49 


"  When  I  was  out  to  the  wood  pasture,"  he 
said,  "  I  seen  more'n  a  dozen  new  woodchuck 
holes.     There's  a  lot  on  'em  comin'  here." 

"  P'raps,"  said  the  farmer,  "  it's  goin'  to  be 
a  hard  winter,  an'  the  woodchucks  is  gittin' 
ready  fur  it.  The  husks  is  pooty  thick  on  the 
corn,  an'  that's  another  sign  of  a  tight  winter." 

The  boy  had  ecstatic  visions  of  digging  out 
some  of  the  woodchucks  by  the  aid  of  a 
shovel,  some  other  boys,  and  a  splay-footed 
cur  that  helped  drive  the  cows  to  the  pasture. 

Meanwhile  the  nights  in  the  vicinity  suf- 
fered from  strange  noises.  The  slumbering 
neighbors  were  aroused  in  the  sniall  hours  of 
the  morning  by  the  roll  of  wheels,  the  clatter 
of  the  feet  of  swift- moving  horses,  and  the 
voices  of  men.  One  3^oung  man  had  re- 
mained at  home  one  Sunday,  while  the  others 
went  to  the  village  church. 

"  I  swow,''  said  he  when  relating  what  he 
saw  when  the  rest  were  absent,  "  I  seen  three 
men  come  along  in  a  two-hoss  spring  wagon, 
with  some  long  things  in  their  arms  and  lean- 
in'  against  their  shoulders  which  looked  like 
guns.  Thinks  I  them's  some  city  fellers  goin' 
a  shootin'.  They  went  on  over  the  hill  out-a- 
sight,  and  bimeby  I  heerd  some  lafhn  over 
4 


50  THE   GAMBLER. 

in  the  swale.  I  kinder  sneaked  up  the  ridge, 
and  there  was  them  three  fellers  a  workin'  a 
machine  like  a  big  auger," 

All  these  occurrences  mystified  exceedingly 
the  population  of  Slaughter  Holler  and  the 
vicinit}^ ;  and  the  excitement  was  increased 
when  a  rumor  prevailed  that  there  was  a  chap 
stopping  over  at  Calkinses  who  wanted  to 
buy  a  farm  somewhere  in  the  up  country. 
The  new  comer  was  a  plain,  farmer-like  per- 
son, with  heav}'  cowhide  boots,  a  shock  head 
of  auburn  hair,  and  rough  in  speech  and  man- 
ners. He'd  been  living,  he  announced,  on  the 
flats  about  sixty  miles  up  the  river. 

"  I  got  a  good  place,"  he  said,  "  of  two 
hundred  acre,  and  I'm  suited  well  enough, 
but  she'" — they  always  allude  to  the  wife  as 
"she," — "thinks  there  is  ager  thereabouts  and 
is  bound  to  move  up  in  the  hills.  I'm  lookin' 
aroun'  for  suthin'.  I  want  a  snug  place  of 
one  hundred,  or  a  hundred  and  fifty  or  two 
hundred  acres.  Ef  I  can  find  somethin' that'll 
suit  Jicr,  I'll  pay  all  it's  wuth." 

He  made  his  headquarters  at  the  Calkins' 
farm. 

"  Wot  mought  you  consider  this  piece  o' 
land  wuth  ?"  he  asked  the  owner. 


THE   GAMBLER.  5  I 

"  It  aint  for  sale,"  was  the  reply,  "  but  cf 
it  was  in  the  market  I'd  consider  it  cheap  at 
one  hundred  dollar  an  acre." 

"  Phew  !"  whistled  the  gentleman  from  the 
lowlands.  "  Why,  it's  half  hill  and  swamp, 
and  there  aint  no  woods  on  it  wuth  speakin' 
of ;  there's  stones  on  all  the  land,  the  fences 
is  out  of  repair,  the  barn  wants  a  ruff,  and  the 
house  aint  in  good  shape,  and  that  well's 
cavin'  in  and  it'll  cost  a  sight  o'  money  to  put 
the  farm  in  shape.'' 

Farmer  Calkins  responded  with  the  state- 
ment that  while  the  fences  might  "  need  a 
little  fixin'  up,  and  there  ought  to  be  some 
little  tinkerin'  here  and  there,  there  want  no 
better  piece  o'  land  in  all  the  upper  country. 
Only  'leven  miles  from  tlie  railroad,  three 
churches  within  four  miles,  affordin'  gospel 
privileges  that  few  other  places  had,  and  only 
eight  miles  to  the  county  seat." 

The  other  pooh-poohed  the  farmer,  but  still 
hung  around  and  dickered.  He  went  off  to 
look  at  other  property  in  other  directions,  and 
always  came  back  to  the  Calkins',  and  related 
to  them  what  bargains  he  had  been  offered  in 
this  and  that  town. 

"  Somehow,"  he  would  say,  "  I've  taken  a 


52  THE   GAMBLER. 

sneakin'  likin'  to  this  ere  farm,  on  account  of 
its  manner  of  bein'  located,  and  'twould  suit 
]ier.  What  d'ye  say  now  to  fifty  dollar  an 
acre,  and  you  to  throw  in  that  yearling  bull 
and  the  span  of  black  mares?" 

The  price  did  not  suit  Calkins ;  he  wanted 
a  hundred,  although  he  well  knew  that  the 
land  was  worth  no  such  figure;  but  it  was  a 
matter  of  pride  in  that  vicinity  among  the 
farmers,  to  value  their  land  at  an  even  hun- 
dred per  acre.  It  was  a  high-sounding  figure, 
one  calculated  to  elevate  the  importance  of 
the  owner,  and  to  astonish  the  casual  inquir- 
ing stranger  who  was  curious  as  to  the  worth 
of  property. 

Finally,  the  would-be  purchaser  with  great 
reluctance  advanced  his  offer  to  seventy-five 
dollars  per  acre. 

"  It's  my  ver}^  last  offer,"  he  said.  "  It's  a 
darn  sight  more'n  the  place  is  wuth,  but  I 
can't  find  anything  hereabouts  which  will  suit 
Jlcy.     Wot  d'ye  say  ?" 

That  night  the  farmer  and  his  wife  had  a 
long  talk.  Said  she,  "  Dannel,  there's  some- 
thing behind  all  this.  Wot  duz  that  man  want 
of  this  farm  at  any  such  fancy  price?  It  aint 
wuth    one-half  wot   he  sez   he'll  give  fur  it. 


THE   GAMBLER.  53 

Now,  you  jest  hang  on  and  see  wot  he'll  do. 
He  may  go  a  good  deal  higher,  but  ef  he  don't, 
then  we  kin  let  him  have  it  at  a  lower  figger." 

To  shorten  the  proceedings  of  a  long  confab, 
it  may  be  stated  that  the  stranger  kept  raising 
in  his  figures,  until  he  finally  amazed  Farmei^ 
Calkins  b}'  jumping  at  once  to  the  astounding 
figure  of  five  hundred  dollars  per  acre.  The 
stranger  was  red-hot  with  rage  when  he 
finally  made  this  proffer. 

''Take  this  offer  or  go  to  the  devil;  it's 
your  very  last  chance!" 

Calkins  thought  that  his  visitor  was  an  es- 
caped lunatic,  and  attempted  to  temporize : 

"  Five  hundred  an  acre  is  high  enuff,  and 
I'll  be  glad  to  sell  at  that  price.  When  do 
you  want  possession  ?" 

"  Don't  you  worry  about  that ! "  said  the 
man,  who  clearly  saw  the  suspicion  of  the 
farmer.  "Come  into  the  house  and  sign  this 
paper." 

He  seated  himself,  and  taking  writing  ma- 
terial from  his  satchel,  he  rapidly  wrote  the 
following,  which  he  pushed  over  to  Calkins: 

"  There,  sign  that!  " 

Calkins  with  confused  vision  managed  to 
spell  through  the  note,  which  read  : 


54  THE   GAMBLER. 

"  For  the  sum  of  one  thousand  dollars  whose 
receipt  I  acknowledge  herewith,  I  agree  to 
sell  the  farm  known  as  the  Calkins  farm  in 
Slaughter  Hollow,  and  by  me  owned,  for  the 
sum  of  five  hundred  dollars  an  acre,  to  Jabez 
Coffin,  providing  that  the  property  be  trans 
f erred  to  the  new  purchaser  within  ninety 
days,  and  the  total  amount  in  cash  be  paid 
when  the  transfer  is  made." 

Silas  Calkins,  it  is  needless  to  say,  first 
dutifully  consulted  her  and  then  signed  the 
paper.  A  roll  containing  ten  one-hundred 
dollar  bills  was  handed  him  by  the  purchaser, 
who  at  once  left,  saying  he  would  be  around 
in  a  week  or  two  to  look  over  the  property. 

He  never  came  back,  but  in  due  time  others 
did  with  machinery  and  proceeded  to  take 
possession.  It  was  only  then  that  Calkins  and 
the  neighbors  discovered  that  underneath  his 
farm  was  located  the  best  quarry  of  slate  on 
the  American  continent. 


THE   GAMBLER.  55 


VII.  • 

PAUL  GOES   EAST, 

Paul  received  the  news  as  to  the  sale  of  the 
farm  just  a  couple  of  days  before  the  expira- 
tion of  his  vacation.  He  at  once  resii^ned  his 
position  and  went  home  to  share  the  family 
excitement  over  the  possession  of  great  wealth. 
On  his  arrival  he  found  himself  a  tremendous 
lion.  People  who  had  scarcely  noticed  him 
when  a  lad  on  the  farm,  now  extended  to  him 
a  fulsome  worship.  The  daughters  of 
"Square''  Weckford,  who  had  always  ele- 
vated their  noses  at  such  an  angle  in  his 
presence  that  he  was  far  below  the  line  of 
their  vision,  now  lowered  their  organs  of 
smell  to  a  point  which  permitted  them  to 
look  him  squarely  in  the  face. 

Paul  was  pleased,  of  course,  with  this  def- 
erence, but  it  left  no  deep  impression.  The 
Weckford  girls  were  the  aristocracy  of 
Slaughter  Holler,  and  their  smiles  in  an  earlier 


56  THE    GAMBLER. 

day  would  have  been  to  Paul  a  priceless  favor. 
But  he  had  traveled  since  then,  and  he  could 
not  but  contrast  the  freckled  sisters  with  their 
dull  gray  eyes,  with  the  artistic  beauties  he 
had  encountered  in  his  travels. 

"  I  should  be  pleased  to  have  you  write  me 
when  vou  go  West,"  said  the  elder  Miss 
Weckford,  with  a  girlish  giggle. 

"  Thank  you  !"  was  the  sole  response. 

He  became  nauseated  with  the  odor  of  the 
incense  incessantly  burned  under  his  nose, 
and  despite  all  the  pleas  of  his  friends  he 
determined  to  return  to  Chicago.  His  father 
gave  him  a  small  sum  of  money,  promising  to 
do  better  when  the  final  payments  were  made 
on  the  land. 

Two  weeks  after  the  total  sum  had  been 
paid  over,  Silas  Calkins  was  carried  to  the 
graveyard  on  the  hill.  The  shock  had  been 
too  much  for  him,  and  it  killed  him.  He 
illustrated  the  truth  of  the  assertion  that 
"  men  die  just  as  they  are  ready  to  live.''  It 
is  often  seen  that  many  men  who  have  accu- 
mulated fortunes  and  completed  a  fine  house 
in  which  to  live  in  idleness  and  comfort,  die 
within  a  brief  period. 

He  died  without  a  will.     The  family  held 


THE   GAMBLER.  57 

a  conference,  and  the  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  was  divided  among  them  by  agree- 
ment;  the  widow  receiving  twenty  thousand 
dollars,  while  the  other  eighty  thousand  was 
equally  divided  between  the  two  children, 

Paul,  being  of  age,  came  into  possession  of 
his  share  at  once,  and  having  changed  it  into 
sight  drafts  payable  at  Chicago,  he  soon  after 
left  for  the  West  with  the  intention  of  making 
it  his  permanent  home. 

This  determination  was  based  largely  on 
the  results  of  a  conversation  held  with  La- 
farge  when  he  had  heard  of  the  discovery  of 
the  slate  quarry. 

"  Now,  my  boy,"  said  his  friend,  "you  are 
going  to  get  some  money,  which  did  not  cost 
you  an  hour's  thought  or  labor.  You  can 
afford  to  be  generous  with  it.  Put  away  two- 
thirds  of  whatever  you  may  get  in  some 
secure  place  where  it  will  be  drawing  inter- 
est, put  the  remainder  in  a  bank  where  you 
can  draw  it  as  you  need,  and  devote  this 
amount  to  seeing  the  world,  and  learning 
something  of  life." 

"  Would  you  advise  me  to  travel?'' 

"  No,  not  for  the  present.  You  can  get 
your  degrees  here  in  Chicago  as  well  as  you 


58  THE   GAMBLER. 

can  in  any  other  city  in  the  world.  This  place 
has  all  there  is  of  any  consequence.  It  has 
the  sins  of  Paris,  the  piety  of  a  Quaker  settle- 
ment, the  good  women  and  the  bad  ones,  the 
revivals,  gambling,  champagne,  opportunities 
for  goodness  and  dissipation,  for  legitimate 
business  and  swindling,  for  speculation  and 
desii'able  investment,  and  plenty  of  smooth 
highways  which  lead  direct  to  heaven  and  the 
other  place;  in  fact,  there  is  nothing  which 
is  longed  for  by  the  regenerated  or  the  de- 
praved souls  that  cannot  be  had  in  this  won- 
derful city.     You  stay  right  here  !" 

Paul's  eyes  sparkled  as  he  listened  to  the 
enthusiastic  utterances  of  Lafarge. 

The  latter  seemed  to  be  inspired  by  his 
own  thoughts  and  words.  He  leaped  into 
the  middle  of  the  room,  and  then  with  his 
head  thrown  on  one  side,  and  arms  flung  aloft, 
with  the  weight  of  his  body  resting  on  one  foot 
while  the  other  touched  its  extended  toe  on 
the  floor,  he  said  :  "  Would  you  dance,  then 
behold  !''  and  he  capered  and  swung  like  an 
agile  danseuse.  "  Here  you  have  the  beauties 
of  the  stage,  ravishing,  full  of  sensuous  sug- 
gestions. Would  you  have  the  music  ?  Be- 
hold  again!"     Assuming   the   attitude   of    a 


THE   GAMBLER.  59 

singer,  with  languishing  and  appropriate  ges- 
tures, he  sang  and  trilled  in  a  wonderful  fal- 
setto a  bar  from  Don  Giovanni.  "This  is 
your  Patti,  your  Nevada,  and  you  have  them 
here  in  this  glorious  city. 

"  Would  3'ou  ride  on  a  powerful  trotter 
along  the  thronged  boulevards;  would  you 
drive  in  a  luxurious  carriage  on  fashionable 
afternoons  when  beauty  and  wealth  are  abroad 
in  their  fullness  ;  would  you  occupy  the  most 
conspicuous  boxes  when  the  world  of  fashion 
is  out  in  force  to  witness  a  Salvini,  or  listen 
to  a  Patti?  If  so,  3'Ou  must  stay  here  !"  As 
Lafarge  referred  to  each  of  these  phases,  he 
illustrated  them  with  sweeping  gestures  and 
movements  of  his  bod3^  He  rose  and  fell 
gracefully,  as  if  in  the  stirrups  of  the  rider; 
with  folded  arms  and  look  of  supreme  repose, 
he  leaned  back  against  the  carriage  cushions 
in  the  drive,  and  with  impassioned  expression 
mimicked  the  imagined  artist  on  an  imaginary 
stage. 

Paul  witnessed  these  singular  actions  of 
Lafarge  with  a  bounding  heart.  The  envi- 
ronment became  filled  with  swift  music,  the 
soft  rhythm  of  dancing  feet,  the  fiush  of  the 
crimson  cheeks  of  the  dancers,  and  the  lan- 
guishing harmonies  of  social  enjoyments. 


60  THE    GAMBLER. 

"  You  are  right !''  he  ejaculated  with  enthu- 
siasm. "  I  will  stay  here  and  take  my  degrees 
in  this  famous  school,  and  you  shall  be  my 
preceptor." 

"  I  accept !  And  now  to  commence  your 
education.  First,  business,  afterward  pleas- 
ure. You  will  go  to  a  tailor,  and  so  soon  as 
possible  shed  your  rustic  wear.  Meanwhile, 
you  will  give  many  hours  each  day  to  athletic 
practice,  and  you  will  also  secure  a  private 
teacher,  and  be  taught  to  dance.  Look  out 
for  yourself  during  this  period.  Do  not  be 
induced  by  'mine  owners'  to  invest  in  gold 
bricks  ;  do  not  waste  your  money  in  trying  to 
guess  under  which  tlumble  the  elusive  pea  is 
hidden  ;  do  not  bet  3^our  w^ealth  in  efforts  to 
discover  the  location  of  the  agile  jack  in  three- 
card  monte ;  don't  loan  your  cash  to  stran- 
gers who  offer  you  bogus  bonds  for  security. 
In  short,  never  play  against  another  man's 
game." 

Paul  was  just  twenty-two  years  of  age,  of 
medium  size,  with  a  compact,  well-knit  figure. 
His  life  on  the  farm  in  the  open  air,  had  given 
him  powerful  lungs,  a  perfect  stomach,  and 
muscles  of  iron.  He  was  neither  handsome 
nor  the  opposite ;  but  he  had  a  strong,  pleas- 


THE   GAMBLER.  6l 

ant,  engaging  face,  a  frank  manner,  and  was 
an  easy  conversationalist. 

He  had  a  good  common  school  education, 
and  had  improved  his  mind  by  reading.  He 
was  conscientious  in  his  composition,  unac- 
quainted with  evil  save  in  name,  ambitious, 
and  anxious  to  please  those  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact. 

He  was  now  at  the  critical  point  in  his 
career.  He  was  easily  influenced,  fond  of 
admiration,  and  amidst  the  proper  surround- 
ings had  capabilities  for  the  development  of 
a  high  order  of  life.  It  was  a  perilous  point 
in  his  career  when  he  parted  with  Lafarge ; 
how  important  then,  he  failed  to  comprehend. 

Paul  diligently  followed  the  advice  of  La- 
farge as  to  athletics  and  dancing.  He  made 
unexceptionably  rapid  progress  in  both ;  he 
led  in  a  few  months,  the  boxers,  fencers,  bell 
and  club-swingers  of  the  classes.  He  was 
noted  for  his  unusual  strength  and  activity. 
He  became  a  good  dancer,  one  sufficiently 
taught  to  appear  with  credit  in  any  of  the 
various  dances  in  vogue  in  modern  society. 
His  correct  deportment  and  easy  manners 
commended  him  to  the  favorable  consider- 
ation of  his  teacher,  who  invited  him  to  meet 


62  THE   GAMBLER. 

with  his   classes,  and  in  time,  to  assist   at  his 
occasional  soirees. 

As  a  result  he  established  some  acquaint- 
ance with  the  young  people,  by  whom  he 
was  invited  to  their  homes.  Six  months  after 
commencing  the  course  prescribed  by  La- 
farge,  he  was  a  fairly-accomplished  society 
man,  and  had  obtained  the  entree  into  many 
excellent  families. 


THE   GAMBLER.  63 


VIII. 

THE  FETICH  TEMPLE. 

It  was  a  stormy  night  in  November.  A 
cold  rain  from  the  northeast  swept  the  city 
and  a  humid  wind  chilled  to  the  marrow  all 
who  were  exposed  to  it.  Through  the  dark- 
ness, and  splashing  wide  the  mud,  went  a  car- 
riage with  a  single  occupant,  that  soon  left 
the  main  thoroughfares  and  turned  into  the 
narrow  streets  of  one  of  the  most  depraved 
quarters  of  the  town. 

The  driver  evidently  was  acquainted  with 
the  locality,  for  after  a  few  minutes'  rapid  prog- 
ress he  pulled  up  in  front  of  a  tall  brick 
house  and  halted.  He  dismounted,  opened 
the  door,  and  the  passenger  jumped  out,  ran 
swiftly  up  the  steps,  and  rang  the  bell.  The 
door  opened  instantly,  as  if  by  the  operation 
of  the  bell  wire,  and  the  man  entered  and  the 
door  was  at  once  closed  so  speedily  that  the 
visitor  almost  appeared  lo  have  entered 
throuofh  the  wall. 


04  THE   GAMBLER. 

Within  the  vestibule  was  a  young  woman, 
a  quadroon,  plainly  dressed,  and  with  noth- 
ing to  distinguish  her  from  the  average 
servant. 

"  Is  Natalie  in  her  room  ?''  asked  the 
visitor. 

"  She  was  in  the  parlors  a  few  minutes 
ago." 

"  Tell  her  I  wish  to  see  her  in  her  room. 
I  will  go  up  there." 

"  Yes  sir." 

As  the  caller  passed  along  the  hall  to  reach 
the  stairway,  open  doors  permitted  a  mo- 
mentary glance  through  the  spacious  parlors 
on  that  floor.  The  furniture  was  flame- 
colored,  ornate  ;  and  on  sofas  and  gorgeous 
chairs  were  seated,  or  half  reclining,  several 
young  negresses,  black  as  midnight,  and  clad, 
or  half  clad,  in  yellow,  crimson  and  purple 
staffs.  He  caught  a  glimpse  of  these  things 
as  he  passed  swiftly,  and  then  lost  sight  of 
them  as  he  climbed  the  stairway. 

Pushing  along  two  or  three  passages  and 
cross-halls,  as  if  they  were  familiar  to  him, 
the  visitor  finally  reached  a  room  through 
whose  partially  opened  door  there  poured  a 
fluod  of  liirht.     He  entered. 


THE   GAMBLER.  65 

"  Good-evening,  Natalie,  I'm  glad  to  find 
you  in." 

"  Good-evening,  Jean,  my  son,"  was  the  re- 
sponse in  a  tone  as  deep  and  hoarse  as  the 
call  of  a  raven. 

It  Vv^as  a  woman  who  received  him,  and  one 
of  the  most  extraordinary  in  appearance  that 
even  the  imagination  could  create.  She  was 
a  jet  black  negress,  over  six  feet  in  stature, 
and  with  a  vast  bony  frame,  that  showed 
through  where  her  dress  permitted,  like  the 
bones  of  a  skeleton.  Her  face  was  long, 
almost  grotesquely  like  that  of  a  horse;  her 
eyes  were  small,  piercing,  and  black  as  coal, 
and  nearly  buried  from  view  beneath  heavy, 
overhanging  brows.  Her  hair  was  inky  in 
its  hue,  with  the  coarse  texture  of  the  mane 
of  a  wild  animal,  and  flowed  down  her  back 
and  over  her  shoulders  in  a  disordered  mass. 
Her  nose  was  of  enormous  dimensions,  long, 
and  like  her  lips,  had  no  suggestion  of  African 
blood.  Her  mouth  was  of  immense  width, 
and  was  made  remarkable  and  hideous  by  the 
upper  teeth  which  projected  far  out  over  the 
lower  lip,  and  being  separated  from  each 
other  by  a  little  space,  presented  the  appear- 
ance of  tusks. 
5 


^6  THE   GAMBLER. 

She  seemed  some  gigantic  and  curious 
animal  as  she  stood  there  as  erect  as  a  stone 
column. 

"  Sit  down,  Jean,  and  tell  me  what  you 
want.  I  know,  it  is  the  same  as  always  ;  you 
wish  a  lucky  number,  or  day,  or  something 
that  you  may  win  on." 

It  was  John  Lafarge  to  whom  she  spoke, 
and  who  remained  standing  in  a  despondent 
attitude  befor-e  her,  with  a  bent  head  and  a 
troubled  face. 

"  Yes,  all  that  and  more.  I  needn't  tell 
you  what  it  is ;  if  you  can  read  the  future,  you 
can  also  read  the  present." 

"  It  is  perfectly  easy.  You  are  in  love,  and 
are  disappointed." 

Lafarge  glanced  up  with  astonishment  in 
his  countenance. 

"  Well,  suppose  you  have  hit  it,  what 
then  ?" 

"  Not  much,  perhaps.  In  this  cold,  foggy 
region,  I  can't  see  into  the  future  as  I  could 
in  the  warm,  melting  South.  My  grand- 
father was  a  fetich  priest  in  Africa,  and  when 
he  died  a  slave  in  this  country,  he  transmitted 
the  gift  to  his  son,  my  father,  who  gave  it  to 
me.     In  the  South  I  was  a  real  priestess  and 


THE  GAMBLER.  67 

prophetess.  There,  destiny  could  be  wooed 
with  the  blood  of  sacrifice.  Way  up  the 
bayous,  deep  in  the  tangled  cedar  swamps, 
blood  could  be  offered,  and  the  world  be  none 
the  wiser  for  it,  nor  the  loser. 

"  But  here  in  this  stupid  North  they  will 
not  allow  sacrifices.  Without  blood  I  can  do 
but  little.  1  see  only  dim  visions  in  the 
dark." 

She  spoke  with  deliberation  and  earnest- 
ness. There  was  something  awesome  in  her 
utterances,  her  appearance,  and  her  surround- 
ings. The  room  was  furnished  in  dark  shades, 
and  she  was  in  funeral  black  from  neck  to 
heel.  Overhead,  on  the  wall,  behind  a  large 
fauteuil  was  extended  a  stuffed  alligator,  and 
on  other  portions  of  the  walls  were  dried 
snakes,  snails  and  other  fetiches.  She  believed 
herself  the  direct  descendant  of  an  African 
priest  of  Fetichism,  and  assumed  all  the 
grandeur  that  she  thought  the  dignity  con- 
ferred on  her. 

Taking  from  a  shelf  a  little  wooden  image 
shaped  somewhat  in  human  form,  she  held  it 
to  her  ear,  closed  her  eyes  as  if  to  listen  with- 
out interruption,  and  after  a  little  said  : 

"  I  am  ready.     1  will  write." 


68  THE   GAMBLER. 

Going  to  a  little  table  where  there  were 
writing  materials,  she  rapidly  penned  the  fol- 
io wino^,  which  she  handed  to  Lafarg-e  : 

"  Monday  and  Saturday  are  your  lucky 
days  for  cards ;  Wednesday  for  speculation, 
and  Thursday  for  lottery  tickets.  There  is  no 
day  this  month  for  women.  You  have  a 
rival.     You  are  in  danger." 

He  read  it,  and  folding  it,  thrust  it  in  his 
pocket,  with  a  fierce  scowl. 

"  By  — ,  you  are  right !  I  am  in  love,  and  I 
have  a  rival ;  but  I  fancy  that  it  is  he  that  is 
in  danger!" 

"  Be  cautious,  mv  son.  There  is  a  battle 
between  you  and  another,  and  I  cannot  dis- 
tinguish the  victor.  Oh,  for  the  blood  of 
human  sacrifice  to  clear  my  vision  !"  As  she 
concluded,  she  ground  her  teeth  till  they 
were  flecked  with  foam  like  the  tusks  of  a 
wild  boar. 

Lafarge  soon  after  left  the  house,  jumped 
into  his  waiting  carriage  and  was  driven  away. 

John  Lafarge,  ostensibly  a  commercial  trav- 
eler, was  in  reality  largely  interested  in 
gambling.  Like  others  of  his  class  he  was 
superstitious,  and  was  influenced  by  omens 
and  portents  of  every  conceivable  character. 


THE   GAMELEK.  69 

Like  other  gamblers,  both  card  and  board  of 
trade,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  consulting  trance- 
mediums,  clairvoyants,  and  professionals  who 
claimed  to  be  able  to  read  the  future. 

Natalie — "  The  Ogress,"  as  some  called  her 
— was  a  favorite  oracle  with  Lafarge.  She 
was  mysterious,  and  frequentl}^  either  from 
good  guesswork,  or  shrewd  judgment,  had 
given  him  valuable  hints  as  to  card-play- 
ing, and  operations  on  the  Board  of  Trade. 
Whence  this  'strange  woman  had  come,  no 
one  seemed  to  know.  There  were  rumors  to 
the  effect  that  many  years  before  she  had 
been  driven  from  the  South  for  "  voudoo " 
practices,  which  involved  the  sacrifice  of 
human  life.  However  this  may  be,  she  was 
a  profound  mystery  whom  nobody  was  able 
to  solve. 

Lafarge  was  not  a  professional  gambler. 
He  had  a  connection  with  a  first-class  house, 
and  gave  prompt  attention  to  his  duties.  He 
was  a  successful  solicitor,  and  earned  large 
sums  by  his  efforts.  He  had,  however,  ac- 
quired a  liking  for  gambling,  and  when  not 
on  the  road  or  engaged  in  the  store  he  gave 
many  of  his  spare  hours  to  the  infatuation  of 
his  passion. 


70  THE   GAMBLER. 

At  first  his  gaming-  transactions  were  lim- 
ited to  small  poker  encounters  with  other 
commercial  men  who  happened  to  meet  at 
hotels  in  the  country.  The  stakes  were  small, 
the  risks  insignificant,  and  the  entire  purpose 
simply  to  "  pass  away  the  time."  What  at  first 
was  a  simple  pastime  grew  slowly  into  a  habit 
of  vast  dimensions.  It  included  a  fierce  de- 
sire to  gamble  on  all  possible  occasions;  to 
bet  on  horse  races,  and  prize  fights  ;  to  invest 
in  lottery  and  policy  tickets,  and  in  margins 
or  options  in  the  grain  market. 

At  this  time  his  social  standing  was  good. 
He  was  regarded  as  a  rising  young  man,  and 
was  liked  and  respected  by  his  employers, 
who  perhaps  dreamed  of  a  day  in  the  future 
when  the  active,  industrious  and  sagacious 
drummer  might  have  a  position  as  a  partner 
in  the  firm.  He  had  the  entree  into  a  social 
circle  of  a  good  quality,  although  it  began  to 
be  noticed  of  late  that  his  calls  were  becom- 
ing less  frequent,  and  his  attendance  at  social 
gatherings  were  more  and  more  irregular. 

In  truth,  all  his  hours  not  employed  in  busi- 
ness were  given  to  the  new  fascination.  He 
progressed  rapidly  from  the  poker  to  the  faro 
layout,  and  in  both  cases  wagered  his  money 
with  the  freedom  and  insouciance  of  a  veteran. 


THE   GAMBLER.  /I 


IX. 

THE  PRETTY  TYPE-WRITER. 

Among  the  large  force  employed  by  the 
firm  with  which  Lafarge  was  connected  was 
a  pretty  type-writer  and  stenographer.  She 
was  a  slender  girl  about  eighteen  years  of  age 
with  the  delicate  figure  and  large,  soft  blue, 
melting  eyes  of  a  Marguerite.  There  was 
much  speculation  among  the  other  employes 
as  to  her  antecedents,  but  no  satisfactory  con- 
clusions could  be  obtained. 

An  expression  of  sadness  rested  on  her 
handsome  features,  and  gave  an  additional 
charm  to  her  attractiveness.  She  was  petite, 
being  scarcely  larger  than  the  average  child 
of  twelve  years  of  age.  She  had  the  appear- 
ance of  being  fragile,  and  yet  she  performed 
all  the  labors  of  her  position,  and  endured  the 
long  hours  of  each  day's  confinement  without 
exhibiting  signs  of  weakness.  Her  perfect 
ear  retained  its  pink,  and  on  her  cheek  there 
rested  the  rich  crimson  of  health. 


72  THE   GAMBLER. 

"  Who  is  she  ? "  was  a  constant  inquiry 
among'  those  who  saw  her  day  by  day.  That 
she  was  a  Miss  Wright,  and  that  she  came  to 
the  office  every  morning  at  ten  o'clock  and 
promptly  went  away  at  three,  and  that  while 
on  duty  she  gave  exclusive  attention  to  her 
work,  that  she  was  reticent  and  reserved, 
were  all  that  was  known  of  her.  Where  she 
lived,  who  were  her  relatives,  and  why  one 
apparently  so  aristocratic  and  dainty  should 
resort  to  manual  labor,  were  profound 
mysteries. 

She  never  volunteered  any  conversation 
with  those  about  her,  and  only  spoke  when 
the  necessities  of  her  employment  demanded 
speech.  She  always  returned  politely  and 
gracefully  the  morning  greetings  of  the  clerks 
and  members  of  the  firm,  but  on  all  other 
occasions  resolutely  remained  shut  within 
herself. 

The  veil  may  be  lifted  that  rested  on  this 
young  and  solitary  girl.  Her  name  was 
Eleanor  Wright  and  she  was  the  daughter  of 
an  excellent  family  living  in  the  city.  Her 
father  died,  leaving  a  widow,  three  grown-up 
sons  and  Eleanor.  There  was  also  an  adopted 
son,  who  was  the  offspring  of  a  relative,  who 


THE   GAMBLER.  73 

had  been  taken  when  an  infant  and  had  grown 
up  with  the  others,  and  was  regarded  by 
them  as  one  of  themselves. 

The  adopted  son  was  the  presumptive  heir 
to  a  considerable  property,  and  in  the  course 
of  time,  it  dawned  on  the  ambitious  mother 
that  he  would  make  an  excellent  and  most 
desirable  husband  for  Eleanor. 

Eleanor  had  been  reared  tenderly.  She 
had  the  advantages  of  a  select  school  for 
children,  and  of  an  Eastern  seminary  for  the 
education  and  finish  of  young  ladies.  She 
was  an  accomplished  musician,  linguist  and 
conversationalist.  She  was  a  constant  reader, 
was  well  informed  on  current  and  historical 
events,  a  student  of  men  and  women,  and 
exquisite  in  her  manners,  and  amiable  in  her 
disposition. 

A  year  or  two  before  this  period,  her 
mother  one  day,  when  they   were  alone,  said  : 

"My  chila,  do  you  know  that  I  am  almost 
fifty  years  old  ?" 

"  Well  mamma,  you  may  be  nearly  half  a 
century  old  but  you  don't  look  it.  Why,  do 
you  know  that  yesterday  I  met  Mr.  Wheeler, 
who  saw  us  at  church  Sunday  and  who  asked 
me  if  we  were  not  twins  !  " 


74 


THE   GAMBLER. 


Mrs.  Wright,  although  fresh  in  complexion, 
and  well  preserved,  had  some  crows'  feet 
beneath  her  eyes,  some  silver  in  her  abun- 
dant hair,  and  a  very  decided  corpulence ; 
and  yet  knowing  all  these  things,  she  flushed 
over  the  compliment,  and  was  as  pleased  with 
it  as  if  she  had  been  in  her  teens. 

Women  may  grow  old  in  their  affections, 
their  aspirations  and  in  years,  but  never  in 
their  vanity.  A  well-turned  compliment 
expressed  with  apparent  sincerity  in  regard 
to  her  appearance  will  dehght  the  young 
woman,  the  matron,  and  even  the  grandmother. 
A  woman  never  becomes  too  old  to  be  sus- 
ceptible to  complimentary  remarks. 

"  Thank  you,  dear,"  responded  Mamma 
Wright,  as  there  tingled  through  her  veins  a 
sensation  of  downright  ecstacy,  born  of  the 
flattery.  "  But  I  did  not  speak  of  my  age  to 
get  a  compliment.  I  was  not  'fishing.'  I 
brought  it  up  because  it  reminded  me  of  your 
age.  Do  you  know,  Elee,  dear,  that  you  are 
past  seventeen  ?  " 

"Yes  mamma,  I  know  it,  but  what  is  there 
very  stunning  about  that?" 

"  Nothing  very  'stunning'  if  1  may  be  per- 
mitted to  also  speak  in  female  seminary  slang. 


THE    GAMBLER.  75 

But  you  will  soon  be  eighteen,  then  nineteen, 
and  then — " 

"  Yes,  you  are  quite  right,  and  you  can 
finish  it  all  up  by  adding,  and  so  on.  But 
what  are  you  driving  at,  to  use  another  bit  of 
slang  ?'' 

"  I  am  hinting  at  that  which  is  always  near 
the  heart  of  a  mother  who  has  a  grown 
daughter  whom  she  loves,  and  whom  it  is 
her  duty  to  see  established  in  life." 

"  Yes,  mamma !" 

"  I  have  been  thinking  that  you  are  close  to 
the  age  when  young  men  will  seek  you  as  a 
wife."  Here  Eleanor  dropped  her  eyes,  and 
a  soft  crimson  touched  her  cheek.  "  I  want 
to  see  you  settled  while  I  can  assist  you.  I 
sometimes  feel  that  there  is  something  wrong 
in  me,  and  that  at  any  moment  something 
may  happen."  As  she  said  this  her  voice 
grew  faint,  and  tears  came  into  her  eyes. 
Alas,  it  is  always  the  destiny  of  a  matured 
woman  to  believe  that  something  mysterious, 
unknown,  undistinguishable,  menaces  her 
health  and  life. 

"  I  have  thought  the  matter  all  over,"  con- 
tinued the  matron  after  ostentatiously  wiping 
away  the  tears,  "and  I  believe  that  I  can 
select  for  you  the  man  you  should  marry." 


76  THE    GAMBLER. 

"Why,  mamma,  what  do  you  mean?" 
asked  Eleanor,  with  her  face  in  a  flame,  and 
her  gentle  eyes  flashing  with  something  like 
anger.     "  Who  is  it  ?" 

"  It  is  a  most  worthy  young  man,  one  with 
good  rearing,  excellent  habits,  a  moderate 
fortune,  and  fine  prospects.  In  short,  I 
mean  your  adopted  brother,  William  !'' 

Had  a  thunderbolt  suddenly  torn  through 
the  house,  shattering  and  rending  it  from  roof 
to  basement,  it  would  not  have  created  more 
surprise  than  did  this  blunt  announcement. 
She  stared  at  her  mother  a  moment  as  if 
hysterical,  and  then  sprang  up  and  fled  from 
the  room. 

A  few  moments  later  she  was  in  her  own 
room  with  her  head  buried  in  her  shawl,  and 
sobbing  with  convulsive  energy.  Thus  she 
lay  for  an  hour  or  more,  and  then  there  came 
a  soft  step  across  the  floor,  a  warm  hand 
clasped  her  icy  fingers,  there  was  an  imprint 
of  a  kiss  on  her  hair,  and  a  pit3'ing  voice  said  : 

"  Don  t  weep  so,  my  darling !" 

Eleanor  sprang  to  her  feet,  turned  her  tear- 
stained  face  toward  her  mother,  and  with 
her  head  thrown  back  defiantly,  screamed  : 

"  Marry  William  !     Never!'' 


THE   GAMBLER.  yj 

Nothing  more  was  said  by  Mrs.  Wright 
for  some  weeks,  and  then  she  again  broached 
the  subject.  The  daughter  heard  her  in 
moody  silence,  and  finally  vehemently  de- 
clared that  if  the  marriage  was  ever  again 
mentioned,  she  would  leave  the  house  and 
earn  her  own  livelihood. 

Thereafter  she  devoted  many  hours  each 
day  to  the  study  of  shorthand  and  type-writ- 
ing. She  learned  with  great  rapidity,  and  in 
six  months  was  perfect  in  the  latter,  and  suf- 
ficiently competent  in  the  former  to  take 
down  with  ease  the  dictation  of  an  average 
speaker. 

She  might  not  have  gone,  but  one  day 
William  attempted  to  take  her  hand,  accom- 
panying the  act  with  some  words  of  admira- 
tion. She  jerked  away  her  hand,  ran  from 
the  room,  and  in  a  few  moments  appeared 
before  her  mother,  hatted  and  dressed  for  the 
street. 

"  I'm  going !"  she  said.  "  I  shall  stay  a 
few  days  with" — naming  a  young  lady  friend 
— "until  I  can  get  work.  There  is  no  use  in 
your  remonstrating.  I  am  determined,  and 
shall  go.  I  might  have  endured  your  perse- 
cution,   but    when   William  attempts  to   ap- 


78  THE   GAMBLER. 

proach  me,  it  is  too  much.  I  would  no  more 
marry  him  than  one  of  my  own  brothers." 

The  mother  entreated,  and  wept.  The 
girl  went,  brushing  a  few  tears  from  her  eyes 
as  her  feet  touched  the  street. 

She  went  to  the  home  of  her  friend.  Ad- 
vertisements were  inserted  detailing  her 
wants  and  capabilities,  and  in  less  than  a 
month  she  had  secured  the  position  of  cor- 
respondence clerk,  at  a  fair  salary,  in  the 
wholesale  house  where  she  first  appeared  in 
this  history. 

The  small  body  contained  the  soul  of  a 
giant.  She  was  remonstrated  with  by  her 
relatives  and  entreated  to  return  home,  but 
she  persisted  in  her  refusal.  She  boarded 
with  her  lady  friend,  she  earned  enough  to 
pay  her  living  expenses,  and  to  purchase 
such  articles  of  clothing  as  she  needed.  She 
may  not  have  been  happy,  but  she  was  at 
least  independent,  and  the  mistress  of  the 
disposal  of  her  hand  and  her  affections. 


THE  GAMBLER.  79 


X. 

JEW   AND   GENTILE. 

When  Lafarge  returned  from  one  of  his 
commercial  trips  and  entered  the  office,  he 
was  struck  by  a  beautiful  figure  seated  at  a 
desk  and  engaged  in  writing.  Her  superb 
complexion,  her  wonderful  purple-black  hair, 
so  unusual  with  a  blonde  complexion  and  blue 
eyes,  her  slight,  childish  figure  and  girlish  ap- 
pearance, at  once  attracted  his  attention,  and 
his  admiration.  He  had  never  before  in  all 
his  varied  experience  seen  anything  so  sweet, 
so  enchanting  in  every  outline  and  detail. 
His  dark  eyes  flashed,  his  chest  heaved,  his 
very  soul  was  stirred  to  its  lowermost  depths 
by  this  vision  of  loveliness. 

Lafarge  was  a  Jew  by  blood  and  education. 
He  was  of  the  more  intelligent  class,  and  had 
received  a  liberal  schooling  in  the  city  of  his 
birth,  New  York.  He  was  a  fine  musician, 
and  an  artist  in  his  tastes,  and  in  many  of  his 


8o  THE   GAMBLER. 

pursuits.  He  sang  a  splendid  baritone,  played 
the  violin  and  piano,  and  possessed  most  of 
the  better  qualities  characteristic  of  his  race. 

The  Jew  is  a  sensuous  being.  He  is  tropi- 
cal in  his  loves,  and  inherits  the  oriental 
warmth  of  his  Abrahamic  ancestors,  although 
separated  from  them  by  thousands  of  years. 

Each  Jew,  even  of  to-day,  has  the  feelings 
of  the  writer  of  the  Songs  of  Solomon  ;  his 
fervid  imagination,  his  admiration  of  women, 
his  devotion  to  the  sensuous,  his  voluptu- 
ousness. Even  to  the  modern  "  Sheeny," 
whether  engaged  in  selling  second-hand 
clothes  or  hawking  about  a  basket  of  pins 
thread  and  needles,  the  woman  whom  he 
adores  is  the  perfection  of  the  passionate  and 
the  perfect.  Could  he  express  himself  he 
would  say  of  her: 

"  Behold  thou  art  fair,  my  love ;  behold 
thou  art  fair;  thou  hast  doves'  eyes  within 
thy  locks;  thy  hair  is  as  a  flock  of  goats  that 
appear  from  Mount  Gilead. 

"Thy  teeth  are  like  a  flock  of  sheep  that 
are  even  shorn,  which  come  up  from  the 
washing. 

■'  Thy  lips  are  like  a  thread  of  scarlet,  and 
thy  speech  is  comely  ;  thy  temples  are  like  a 
piece  of  pomegranate  within  thy  locks. 


THE   GAMBLER.  8 1 

**  Thy  neck  is  a  tower  of  ivory  ;  thine  eyes 
like  the  fishpool  in  Hishbon,  by  the  gate  of 
Bath-rabbim  ;  thine  head  is  upon  thee  like 
Carmel,  and  the  hair  of  thine  head  like  purple. 

"  How  fair  and  pleasant  art  thou,  O  love, 
for  delights ! 

"  Thy  stature  is  like  to  a  palm  tree,  and  thy 
breasts  to  clusters  of  grapes." 

Such  would  be  the  utterances  of  every  son  of 
Jacob  were  his  thoughts  embodied  in  fitting 
measure. 

Civilization  and  progress  have  much  eroded 
the  pure  animalism  of  the  chosen  people ; 
and  yet  there  still  exists  a  trace  of  the  old, 
original  sentiment  which  permitted  the  patri- 
archs to  raid  the  homes  of  the  heathen  for  fair 
captives  with  which  to  stock  their  ample 
harems. 

It  is  true  that  among  the  beiter  elements  of 
the  race  the  virtue  of  women  is  esteemed  as 
high  as  among  Christian  peoples ;  and  yet 
there  is  a  class  of  the  type  of  Lafarge,  that 
does  not  consider  it  a  mortal  sin  to  assault  the 
virtue  of  the  Gentile  woman. 

Often  when  traveling  on  the  cars,  for  in- 
stance, will  the  blood  of  the  Christian  be 
heated  to  the  point  of  almost  insanity,  as  he 
6 


82  THE   GAMBLER. 

overhears  conversations  among  Jewish  drum- 
mers in  adjacent  seats,  who  discuss  the 
"  Christian  girls  "  with  whom  they  claim  to 
have  had  liaisons  at  this  or  that  hotel. 

Thin-faced,  hook-nosed,  swollen-lipped 
wretches,  with  converging  eyes  and  cunning, 
lecherous  countenances,  are  the  fellows  who 
thus  exchange  their  amorous  adventures, 
and  boastingly  allude  to  their  victims  as 
"  Christians." 

These  curs  are  Jews,  and  yet  they  are  not 
Jews.  They  in  no  sense  represent  the  better 
qualities  of  their  race.  They  are  thieves  and 
swindlers  in  business,  debauchees  in  their 
relations  with  women,  and  a  disgrace  to  their 
own  people,  and  equally  to  civilization.  The 
better  classes  of  the  Abrahamic  race  are  in 
no  sense  inferior  in  culture,  honesty,  dignity 
and  worth  to  the  best  specimens  of  other 
peoples. 

The  sensuality  in  the  nature  of  Lafarge 
was  aroused  to  a  boiling  point  the  instant 
after  his  eyes  saw  the  girl  in  front  of  the  type- 
writer. She  was  poor,  or  she  would  not  be 
engaged  in  this  employment.  She  was  prob- 
ably alone,  for  had  she  brothers  or  other  rela- 
tives, they  would  care  for  her,  and  not  allow 


THE   GAMBLER.  83 

her  thus  in  the  world  without  protection.  All 
these  were  reasons  which  flashed  through  his 
mind  why  she  would  be  an  easy  victim. 

She  was  a  Gentile,  and  this  left  her  outside 
the  pale  of  race  protection.  He  was  debarred 
by  his  blood  and  his  religion  from  wedding 
her,  although,  to  his  discredit  be  it  said,  this 
thought  never  entered  his  soul. 

A  connossieur  in  beauty,  he  was  over- 
powered by  her  splendid  attractions,  and  he 
was  ready  to  fall  at  her  feet  and  declare  his 
almost  insane  worship. 

He  staid  in  the  office  settling  up  his  busi- 
ness long  after  he  had  ample  time  to  con- 
clude it.  He  glanced  frequently  in  her  direc- 
tion in  hope  of  catching  her  eyes,  but  she 
never  moved  her  face  so  that  he  could  have 
other  than  a  profile  view,  and  which  was  as 
clear  cut  and  as  shapely  as  that  of  a  goddess 
on  a  cameo.  He  essayed  various  jocular  re- 
marks, and  told  some  exciting  incidents  of 
his  late  trip,  and  looked  toward  her  as  to  dis- 
cover if  she  would  become  interested.  So 
far  as  he  could  see,  his  brilliant  efforts,  or  his 
amusing  ones,  affected  her  equally  ;  she  never 
paid  the  slightest  attention  to  either,  or 
showed  by  a  change  in  her  side  face  that  she 
knew  of  his  presence. 


84  THE   GAMBLER. 

He  was  piqued,  enraged,  at  her  total  un- 
concern, and  yet  comforted  himself  with  the 
reflection  that  in  time  he  would  unbend  that 
haughty  indifference,  and  command  the  direc- 
tion of  those  eyes  that  now  gazed  as  httle  at 
him  as  if  he  were  non-existent. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  she  ignored  him  from 
sheer  lack  of  interest,  and  out  of  respect  to 
her  own  dignity.  She  felt  that  she  was  im- 
measurably superior  to  her  surroundings, 
and  determined  to  have  no  more  contact 
with  them  than  was  rendered  necessary  by 
her  official  duties.  Had  she  been  willing, 
under  the  circumstances,  to  take  an  interest 
in  a  handsome,  engaging  man,  she  would 
have  found  such  an  one  in  Lafarge.  He  was 
fine  looking,  intelligent,  a  good  talker,  and 
possessed  of  a  deep,  melodious  voice.  His 
conversation  was  bright,  epigrammatic,  with 
a  flash  here  and  there  of  both  wit  and  humor. 

She  neither  knew  nor  cared  as  to  the  man 
who  was  engaged  so  long  in  talking  with  the 
proprietor.  He  might  have  been  a  porler  or 
a  millionaire,  for  all  that  she  comprehended. 
She  simpl}^  never  thought  of  him  at  all. 

Failing  to  attract  her  attention,  the  audacity 
of  the  drummer  came  to  his  rescue  as  it  had 


THE   GAMBLER.  85 

in  many  instances  when  he  had  been  rudely 
repulsed  by  merchants  whom  he  had  ap- 
proached to  solicit  their  patronage. 

Starting  as  if  to  go  out,  he  passed  near  her, 
and  purposely  stumbled,  and  so  managed  to 
drop  forward  that  one  of  his  hands  struck  and 
deranged  some  of  the  papers  piled  on  the 
desk  at  which  she  was  seated.  He  recovered 
himself  instantly  as  she  looked  up  with  a 
slight  air  of  vexation,  and  with  a  profound 
and  respectful  bow  said  in  his  softest  tone : 

"  I  beg  a  thousand  pardons  !  I  am  inex- 
cusabl}'  careless !" 

"  It  isn't  of  the  slightest  consequence,"  she 
answered  in  an  unconcerned  manner,  as  she 
proceeded  to  replace  the  disturbed  papers. 

"  I'm  awfully  sorry,  I'm  sure,"  he  said,  and 
waited  as  if  for  a  reply.  She  resumed  her 
labors  as  if  the  incident  had  never  occurred. 

'<  By  — !''  he  ejaculated,  "  I  made  her 
speak,  anyhow,  and  I  got  a  view  of  her  pretty 
face!  My  God,  isn't  she  a  beauty!  If  I'm 
not  mistaken  I  shall  hear  more  of  that  sweet 
voice,  and  see  more  of  that  proud,  pretty 
face," 


86  THE   GAMBLER. 


XI. 

THE   BRUTE   OF   THE   HORSE-CAR. 

One  of  the  severest  trials  to  which 
Eleanor  was  subjected  was  from  the  rude  be- 
havior of  men  on  her  way  to  and  from  her 
business,  especially  on  the  street  cars.  Al- 
though generally  veiled  so  as  to  conceal  her 
face  and  hair,  there  was,  nevertheless,  some- 
thing in  her  springy  step,  and  the  lithe  undu- 
lations of  her  form  that  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  men  and  women. 

There  was  a  class  of  brutes  that  haunted 
the  streets,  lounged  at  street-corners,  and  in 
front  of  drinking  places,  who  stared  insolently 
and  lascivioush'  at  every  pretty  woman  who 
passed,  who  uttered  audible  and  insolent 
comments  on  her  appearance,  and  if  she 
were  modest,  put  her  to  infinite  shame  as  she 
interpreted  their  actions  to  mean  that  she 
was  vile. 

On    the    street-car   this   nuisance  was   re- 


THE   GAMBLER.  8/ 

doubled  in  its  hatefulness.  Seated  next  to 
a  modest  girl  one  of  these  animals  would 
annoy  her  by  pressing  his  knee  against  her; 
or  standing  in  front  of  her,  would  gaze  per- 
sistently at  her  with  an  insolent  and  insult- 
ing glance. 

These  lecherous  blackguards  yet  abound. 
Their  existence  is  a  disgrace  to  human 
nature.  The  person  who  would  exhibit  an 
obscene  picture  before  the  eyes  of  a  young 
girl  in  a  crowded  street  car,  would  be  sum- 
marily kicked  into  the  street  by  the  outraged 
spectators,  and  yet  the  cur  who,  by  his 
glances  and  actions,  conveys  libidinous  sug- 
gestions to  the  same  young  girl,  under  the 
same  circumstances,  escapes  without  punish- 
ment. His  offence  is  as  gross  as  if  conveyed 
in  actual  speech. 

Such  assaults  are  never  the  work  of  a 
healthy,  robust,  virile  man.  They  are  the 
occupation  of  debased  creatures  who  are 
compelled  to  enjoy  in  imagination  that 
from  which  they  are  debarred  in  reality. 
Old  men  are  often  thus  offensive;  lecherous 
old  wretches  who  enjoy  in  memory  the 
passionate  experiences  of  their  youth. 

The  men  who  participate  in  this  cowardly 


88  THE   GAMBLER. 

work  of  annoying  and  insulting  defenceless 
women,  are  slender  boys,  whose  self-abase- 
ment is  apparent  in  their  attenuated  necks 
and  dulled  eyes;  thick-lipped,  paunchy,  mid- 
dle-aged men  stimulated  by  rum  into  desire, 
and  by  the  same  agency  rendered  impotent 
in  action  ;  and  shattered  old  libertines,  long 
since  past  the  period  of  their  capabilities, 
and  who  labor  to  revive  into  a  flame  the 
long-dead  embers  of  their  passions. 

One  day,  Eleanor  was  detained  beyond 
her  usual  time  at  the  office  by  a  press  of 
business,  and  it  was  not  far  from  midnight 
when  she  entered  the  car  to  go  home.  The 
seats  were  all  taken,  principally  by  men,  one 
of  whom,  after  glancing  ciiriously  and  fixedly 
at  the  slender,  veiled  figure,  rose  and  offered 
her  his  seat.  She  would  have  preferred  not 
to  take  it,  but  knowing  that  a  refusal  would 
attract  more  attention  than  accepting,  she 
took  it,  thanking  the  donor  as  she  passed  him. 

No  sooner  was  she  seated  than  he  placed 
himself  directly  in  front  of,  and  close  to  her, 
meanwhile  holding  on  the  strap  overhead. 
Then  he  fixed  his  eyes  on  her  face,  and 
stared  at  her  persistently  with  an  impudent, 
salacious  expression. 


THE   GAMBLER,  89 

He  was  a  young  man  with  an  enormous 
paunch,  flabby  jowls,  beery  cheeks,  big 
hands  and  feet,  and  a  stupid,  leering  face. 
Very  soon  the  passengers  began  to  notice 
that  the  young  girl  was  ill  at  ease.  His 
glance  annoyed  her,  and  from  her  frequent 
shiftings  of  position,  it  was  evident  that  he 
was  otherwise  annoying  her  by  pressing  his 
leg  against  her. 

There  were  two  or  three  women  in  the  car 
who  saw  the  performance,  and  who  whis- 
pered am(jng  each  other : 

"  Shameful  young  thing !"  was  probably  the 
burden  of  their  discourse.  "  Isn't  it  outrage- 
ous that  she  should  carry  on  at  such  a  rate 
right  here  in  public?" 

"Sst,  Tist!"  hissed  another,  "the  idea  of 
her  trying  to  get  up  a  flirtation  with  that 
gentleman  !" 

The  majority  of  the  passengers  became 
interested  in  the  proceedings.  Finally  the 
paunchy  persecutor  leaned  down  and  putting 
his  face  close  to  hers,  whispered  something. 
In  an  instant,  Eleanor  sprang  to  her  feet,  as 
if  to  reach  the  door,  when  the  big  black- 
guard deliberately  interposed  his  huge  body 
to  bar  her  passage.     She  flimg  up  her  arm 


90  THE   GAMBLER. 

with  a  gesture  of  despair,  and  just  then  a 
hand  seized  the  collar  of  the  brute,  pushed 
him  backward  a  couple  of  steps,  and  then 
another  hand  doubled  into  a  fist,  smote  him 
under  his  vast  jaw,  sending  him  in  a  lump  to 
the  floor. 

"There,  you  cursed  dog!  "  said  the  owner 
of  hand  and  fist,  a  blond  and  rather  slender 
young  man,  as  with  face  blazing  with  indig- 
nation he  surveyed  the  limp  carcass  on  the 
floor,  and  which  was  making  feeble  efforts  to 
pull  itself  together;  "I'll  teach  you  not  to 
insult  defenceless  women  !  " 

The  big  animal  slowly  regained  his  feet 
and  took  a  seat. 

"  I  wa'n't  doin'  nothin',"  he  muttered  feebly. 

He  was  a  rank  coward ;  he  had  no  thought 
of  resenting  the  blow,  and  sneaked  off  the  car 
at  the  next  crossing.  All  loafers  who  thus 
insult  women  are  cowards  of  the  meanest 
kind.  They  may  be  kicked,  spit  upon,  buffeted, 
and  they  will  take  it  all  without  resistance. 

There  was  some  little  commotion  in  the 
car  after  the  knockdown,  but  as  the  cowed 
wretch  offered  no  protest  either  by  word  or 
blow,  the  excitement  soon  subsided.  Eleanor 
resumed  her  seat,  as  did  her  defender.     When 


THE   GAMBLER.  9I 

sne  reached  her  crossing  she  lifted  her  veil, as 
she  passed  him,  and  with  a  warm  "  Thank 
you,  sir !  "  disappeared.  The  vision  of  beauty 
that  for  a  moment  flashed  across  the  glance 
of  the  blond  young  man,  dazzled  him  into 
almost  blindness,  and  at  the  same  time  im- 
pressed itself  on  his  memory  with  a  distinct- 
ness never  to  be  effaced. 


g2  THE   GAMBLER. 


XII. 

THE  CREME  DE  LA  CREME. 

Lafarge,  baffled  in  his  first  attempts  to  make 
the  acquaintance  of  Eleanor,  was  rather  made 
more  determined  to  succeed  in  conquering 
her,  by  his  rebuff.  He  made  various  excuses 
to  avoid  going-  out  on  the  road  for  some  time, 
in  order  that  he  might  increase  his  opportu- 
nities for  seeing  her.  He  was  constantl}^  in 
the  ofifice  during  her  hours,  and  was  inde- 
fatigable in  his  efforts  to  secure  her  friendly 
notice.  As  he  was  constantly  about  she  could 
not  wholly  ignore  him,  so  that  in  time  there 
grew  up  a  certain,  but  limited  intimacy. 

Lafarge  flattered  himself  that  he  was  gain- 
ing ground. 

One  day  as  she  was  unpacking  her  lunch- 
basket,  he  happened  to  be  present  and  said  : 

"  That's  a  cold  lay-out  for  this  weather. 
Wont  you  join  me?  We'll  go  over  to  the 
Creme  de  la  Creme  " — the  name  of  a  famous 


THE   GAMBLER.  93 

and  fashionable  restaurant — "  and  have  a  quiet 
luncheon." 

She  hesitated  a  moment  to  find  some 
excuse  for  refusal.  She  could  think  of  none 
that  she  could  give  him,  and  concluded  with 
some  inward  reluctance,  to  go. 

They  went  over  to  the  Creme  de  la  Creme 
and  climbed  the  richly-decorated  stairway, 
with  its  showy  dado  and  glaring  panels,  and 
entered  the  public  dining-room. 

"  Let's  go  further  back,"  said  he ;  "  this  is 
too  conspicuous."  The  idea  of  publicity 
alarmed  her,  and  so  she  willingly  followed 
him  along  a  hallway  on  either  side  of  which 
were  stalls,  rising  a  little  higher  than  the  head 
of  a  man  of  average  height.  They  entered 
one  of  these ;  there  was  a  table  resplendent 
with  china  and  silver  ware,  and  there  were 
pictures  on  the  main  wall  ;  otherwise  there 
was  nothing  in  the  furnishing  of  the  room 
that  was  remarkable.  Everything  was  rich, 
and  rather  warm  in  tone. 

A  luncheon  of  French  dishes  was  ordered 
and  partaken  of.  During  its  progress,  Lafarge 
was  at  his  best.  He  chatted  about  French 
cookery,  concerning  which  he  was  well 
informed.     He  ran  over  the  amusements  in 


94  THE   GAMBLER. 

town,  and  the  various  artists  who  were  on  the 
boards,  and  their  excellencies.  In  all  these 
matters  he  was  interesting,  and  most  respect- 
ful. Eleanor  was  carried  away  by  his  gossip, 
his  shrewd  analyses  of  characters  and  persons, 
and  joined  quite  unreservedly  in  the  con- 
versation. 

A  deeper  light  came  into  the  eyes  of  her 
companion  as  he  saw  her  reserve  unbending, 
and  she,  for  the  first  time,  chatting  with  him 
familiarly  as  if  they  were  old  acquaintances. 
He  believed  that  the  hour  of  his  triumph  was 
approaching.  A  species  of  exultation  perme- 
ated his  voice  and  his  demeanor. 

He  diverted  the  conversation  to  French 
wines  and  on  this  theme  he  was  eloquent. 
He  enlarged  on  their  bouquet,  their  exquisite 
purity.  There  was  one  brand  in  particular 
which  was  a  nectar  such  as  the  gods  drink. 
There  was  but  one  place  in  Chicago  where  it 
could  be  obtained,  and  that  was  the  Creme 
de  la  Creme.  He  would  order  some  of  it,  so 
that  she  might  sip  the  most  delicious  potation 
which  had  been  ripened  by  the  sun  since  the 
days  of  Olympus. 

She  made  no  objection,  seeing  no  reason 
why  she  should  make  any.     The  waiter  was 


THE   GAMBLER.  95 

called,  and  a  card  with  something  written  on 
it  by  Lafarge  was  given  him.  He  returned 
in  a  few  minutes  with  a  bottle  covered  with 
dust  and  cobwebs.  He  pulled  out  the  cork, 
when  a  singular,  pungent,  and  nevertheless 
delicious  and  stimulating  aroma  filled  the 
room.  Two  crimson  and  slender  wine-glasses 
were  filled  by  the  attendant,  and  then,  when 
he  had  left  the  stall,  closing  the  door  behind 
him,  Lafarge  passed  one  of  the  glasses  to 
Eleanor,  and  raised  the  other  toward  his  lips. 

"  To  your  health,  happiness  and  our  better 
acquaintance,"  he  said,  in  his  softest  tones. 
Eleanor  raised  her  glass,  and  just  then  natu- 
rally glanced  into  the  face  and  eyes  of  Lafarge. 

There  was  something  whicli  she  saw,  she 
knew  not  what,  which  thrilled  her  soul  with 
an  indefinable  terror.  She  knew  nothing  of 
the  passions  save  in  a  sweet,  unconscious  way  ; 
she  knew  little  of  life  outside  her  own  limited 
and  pure  experiences  ;  and  there  seemed  noth- 
ing which  she  had  reason  to  dread. 

Something  in  his  looks  alarmed  her.  It 
sent  thrills  along  her  nerves  and  awakened  a 
frightful  terror.  His  eyes  had  taken  on  a 
new  expression  ;  they  shone  with  unnatural 
brightness,  they  were  humid  ;  they  shifted  as 


96  THE   GAMBLER. 

if  there  were  revolving  circles  beneath  the 
surface ;  but  above  all  their  strangeness  and 
terrible  energy,  they  were  fixed  on  her  with 
a  glaring  intensity  as  if  they  were  penetrating 
her  deepest  nature.  A  wave  of  faintness 
flowed  over  her.  She  was  seized  by  a  name- 
less dread.     She  put  down  her  glass  untasted. 

"  What !  you  wont  taste  this  nectar,  this 
extract  of  all  that  is  poetical  in  the  product 
of  green  vineyards  and  summer  skies?" 

"  No  !"  she  said  faintly.  "  I  cannot  drink 
it.     I  am  weak  ;  I  must  go." 

She  glanced  apologetically  into  his  face.  It 
had  changed.  The  bright  and  intense  light, 
the  mysterious  circles  revolving  with  light- 
ning-like rapidity  in  his  eyes,  the  fixedness  of 
his  gaze  all  had  disappeared,  and  in  their 
place  instead  of  the  expression  at  once  woo- 
ing and  commanding,  there  had  come  one 
more  suggestive  of  hate.  The  black  brows 
were  lowered  and  corrugated  into  a  savage 
frown,  the  lips  a  moment  before  parted  with 
smiling  expectanc}^  were  tightly  drawn  to- 
gether into  a  thin  line. 

She  shrunk  from  him  as  if  with  a  fear  of 
her  life.  His  look  suggested  murder,  or  some 
horrible  danger.     She  rose  and  made  her  way 


THE   GAMBLER.  97 

through  the  door.  He  accompanied  her,  and 
thence  back  to  the  office  without  the  exchangee 
of  a  word.  From  that  moment  she  feared 
and  distrusted  him.  Had  she  attempted  to 
explain  the  cause  of  her  dishke  she  would 
have  failed. 

It  was  the  pure  instincts  of  an  untainted 
soul  which  had  alarmed  her,  and  preserved 
her  from  a  danger  she  did   not  comprehend. 

It  was  the  next  night  after  this  meeting  that 
Lafarge  visited  Natalie,  the  Ogress,  as  before 
recounted. 

It  would  be  unjust  to  dismiss  this  incident 
at  the  Creme  de  la  Creme  without  comment. 
The  interview  between  Eleanor  and  Lafarge 
in  all  its  details,  is  one  that  is  occurring  every 
day  and  night.  There  are  Cremes  de  la 
Cremes  all  over  the  city  ;  some  resplendent 
with  rich  garniture,  fine  wines  and  liveried 
attendants  ;  and  others  with  hideous,  narrow 
pens  built  out  from  the  walls,  with  daubs  for 
ornamentation,  with  greasy,  beer-stained  table- 
cloths, and  poisoned  beer  and  whisky  handed 
in  by  boisterous,  profane,  ill-smelling  waiters. 

Unlike  as  these  are  in  their  appearance  and 
surroundings,  they  are  exactly  alike  in  their 
purposes  and  their  results. 
7 


98  THE  GAMBLER. 

It  is  said  that  the  woman  who  hesitates  is 
lost;  it  may  be  affirmed  with  equal  certainty 
that  the  woman  who  drinks  at  one  of  these 
fashionable  or  unfashionable  places  is  on  the 
verge  of  ruin,  if  she  have  not  already  passed 
over  its  brink. 

The  shop-girl  who  dines  and  drinks  under 
these  circumstances  finds  herself  dizzy,  semi- 
unconscious,  dazed,  in  a  carriage,  and  often, 
a  little  later,  in  an  infamous  house. 

Few  classes  of  women  are  not  represented 
among  the  victims  of  these  resorts.  Many 
married  women,  "just  to  have  a  little  fun," 
accept  invitations  to  dine  with  some  man  at 
one  of  these  places,  and  go  home  late  at  night 
with  their  chastity  blasted,  and  a  lie  on  their 
lips  to  account  for  their  detention. 

Many  of  the  fallen  creatures  who  secure  a 
livelihood  by  ministering  to  the  coarse  pas- 
sions of  men,  can  date  their  descent  from  the 
time  when  they  drank  their  first  glass  at  some 
one  of  the  Creme  de  la  Creme  establishments 
that  flourish  in  Chicago. 


THE  GAMBLER.  99 


XIII. 

A   WOMAN   ENTERS  THE   SCENE. 

After  Paul  Calkins  had  spent  some  months 
in  athletics,  dancing- and  the  like,  and  had  vis- 
ited all  the  theaters,  he  became  somewhat  en- 
nuied,  and  resolved  to  enter  on  some  occupa- 
tion not  only  to  give  him  something  to  do, 
but  also  to  establish  a  business.  In  due  sea- 
son he  succeeded  in  purchasing  an  interest  in 
a  book-house,  and  entered  it  as  a  junior 
partner. 

His  business  location  made  his  hotel  resi- 
dence inconvenient,  and  he  determined  on  a 
change.  Carefully  scanning  the  advertising 
columns  of  the  newspapers,  he  finally  learned 
of  rooms  to  rent,  in  various  parts  of  the  city. 
One  of  these  appeared  to  furnish  what  he 
needed,  and  he  visited  the  place. 

It  was  a  three-story  house  on  a  fashionable 
street,  and  bore  external  evidences  of  wealth. 

He  found  a  small  parlor  and   bedroom  ad- 


lOO  THE   GAMBLER. 

joining-  which  exactly  suited,  and  on  giving  his 
bank  and  book-house  as  references,  he  was 
readily  rented  them  by  the  proprietress.  It 
was  the  property  of  a  Mrs.  Jackson,  whose 
husband  had  not  long  since  died.  He  had 
l)een  supposed  to  be  wealthy  during  his  life, 
but  when  a  settlement  of  his  affairs  came  to 
be  made,  it  was  found  that  but  little  more 
than  the  homestead  could  be  preserved  from 
the  rapacious  grasp  of  the  creditors. 

Forced  to  fall  back  on  herself  for  a  sup- 
port, Mrs.  Jackson  resolved  to  utilize  her 
room.y  house  as  a  source  of  income.  She  had 
only  one  child,  a  girl  named  Helen,  aged  about 
twenty,  and  possessed  of  considerable  beauty 
and  refinement.  The  Wright  and  Jackson 
families  had  been  intimate  for  many  years; 
and  it  was  by  her  friend  Helen,  that  Eleanor, 
when  she  had  left  her  home,  had  been  offered 
a  home. 

For  some  weeks  Paul  came  and  went  with- 
out attracting  much  attention  on  the  part  of 
the  inmates  of  the  house.  However,  he  was 
so  punctual  in  his  hours  and  his  weekly  pa}'- 
ments,  so  quiet  in  his  occupancy  of  the  rooms, 
and  so  polite  and  deferential  to  the  widowed 
landlady,  that  she   began  to  regard  him  as  a 


THE   GAMBLER.  lOI 

rather  particularly  fine  young  man — a  convic- 
tion that  she,  of  course,  communicated  to  the 
young  ladies. 

As  Paul  climbed  and  descended  the  stair- 
way, he  now  and  then  caught  a  glimpse  of  a 
dress  as  its  owner  went  into  the  parlor,  or 
turned  a  corner  in  the  upper  hall ;  but  for  a 
long  time  he  was  not  favored  with  the  sight 
of  a  face.  One  morning  just  as  he  was  open- 
ing the  street  door  to  go  out,  a  key  was  in- 
serted in  the  lock  from  the  outside,  and  the 
door  was  mutually  opened  by  two  persons. 

Eleanor — for  it  was  she — was  returning  in 
haste  for  something  which  she  had  forgotten. 
They  glanced  at  each  other,  and  then  he  recog- 
nized the  girl  whom  he  had  defended  against 
the  insults  of  the  brute  on  the  street-car,  and 
she  saw  in  him  the  man  who  had  protected 
her.  Both  were  so  struck  with  astonishment 
and  so  confused  that  they  stammered,  begged 
pardons,  and  rushed  by  each  other,  he  with 
dazed  feelings,  and  she  with  a  blush  on  her 
cheek  and  a  throbbing  of  her  heart. 

She  flew  like  a  sparrow  to  the  room  of  her 
friend  Helen,  burst  in  on  her  with  a  whirl 
and  a  flutter,  and  asked  almost  incoherently, 
so  much  was  she  out  of  breath  from  her  speed 
and  agitation : 


102  THE   GAMBLER. 

"  Who  is  that  young  man  that  just  left  the 
house?" 

Helen  saw  the  anxiety  of  Eleanor,  and  with 
feminine  tact  saw  an  opportunity  to  tease, 
and  availed  herself  of  it. 

"  Young  man  leaving  this  house !  I'm 
astonished  !  How  could  a  young  man  bear 
to  leave  a  house  in  which  there  are  two  sweet 
young  things,  not  to  mention  a  well-preserved 
widow  ?" 

"Oh,  nonsense  !     Tell  me  who  it  was?" 

"  I  think,"  responded  Helen  slowly,  as  if 
trying  to  recall  an  obscure  memory,  "  that  it 
may  have  been  the  plumber's  assistant.  Did 
he  have  on  blue  overalls,  ragged  at  the 
knees—'' 

"  You  wretch  !  It  was  no  plumber's  assist- 
ant, but  a  gentleman,  and  the  same  one  that 
protected  me  against  the  rufifian  on  the  cars." 

Helen's  manner  at  once  changed,  and  an 
expression  of  satisfaction  played  over  her 
face. 

"  Why,  you  dear  girl,  that's  mamma's 
young  man  lodger !  What  a  remarkable 
coincidence  that  you  should  both  happen  to 
be  occupants  of  the  same  house  !" 

"  Are  you  sure  ?"  asked  the  other. 


THE   GAMBLER.  103 

"  Sure  as  that  you  stand  there  with  won- 
dering eyes,  and  mouth  open,  as  if  to  drink 
in  all  the  astounding  news.  My  goodness, 
but  isn't  this  a  romance  !  It  beats  everything 
in  fiction !" 

Eleanor  fled.     "  I'll  be  late,  good-bye  !" 

Helen  at  once  communicated  to  her  mother 
that  the  young  hero  who  had  so  gallantly 
protected  Eleanor,  and  concerning  whom 
they  had  speculated  and  chatted  for  two  or 
three  whole  weeks,  was  her  lodger. 

The  elderly  lady  was  delighted  with  the 
discovery.  She  had  become  very  favorably 
impressed  with  the  quiet  and  gentlemanly  de- 
meanor of  the  young  man,  and  now  to  learn 
that  he  had  performed  so  acceptable  a  service 
for  Eleanor,  added  immeasurably  to  her  esti- 
mate of  him. 

All  women  admire  manly  men.  They  may 
have  an  indefinite  impression  that  there  is 
something  worthy  of  respect  in  brains,  and 
all  that  sort  of  thing ;  but  they  much  prefer 
the  statue  of  Apollo  or  Adonis  to  that  of 
Ben  Franklin,  or  the  crooked-backed  Vol- 
taire. The  youth  who  wins  a  discussion  in  a 
debating  school,  is  to  them  something  to  be 
regarded  with  mixed  fear  and    admiration; 


104  THE   GAMBLER. 

but  a  handsome  youth  whose  cheeks  are 
ruddy  with  health,  and  whose  potent  fists  can 
strike  to  the  earth  an  offensive  bully,  is  looked 
on  with  pure  respect. 

The  mother  and  daughter  exchanged  their 
impressions.  The  former  lauded  the  man- 
ners and  appearance  of  her  lodger,  and  the 
latter  reveled  in  contemplation  of  his  strength 
and  courage.  The  result  was  that,  Eleanor 
not  dissenting,  the  hero  was  invited  to  call 
down  to  the  parlor  that  evening  to  receive 
the  thanks  of  the  ladies  for  his  meritorious 
act. 

With  many  misgivings  as  to  his  ability  to 
well  carry  himself  in  the  approaching  crisis, 
Paul  betook  himself  to  the  salon.  The  host- 
ess, who  was  waiting  for  him,  received  him 
very  graciously,  spoke  of  the  incident  on  the 
car,  and  how  deeply  she  appreciated  a  service 
performed  in  the  interests  of  dear  Eleanor, 
the  friend,  almost  sister,  of  her  own  daughter. 

The  young  ladies,  tastefully  and  charm- 
ingly dressed,  came  in  soon  after,  and  Mr. 
Calkins  was  formally  presented  to  the  pair. 
The  usual  commonplaces  were  exchanged, 
and  then  there  followed  awkward  breaks  of 
silence. 


THE   GAMBLER.  105 

It  is  not  often  that  a  meeting  occurs  under 
similar  circumstances,  and  there  are  few  peo- 
ple who  have  the  tact  to  know  just  what  to 
say  on  such  an  occasion.  Paul  felt  that  he 
was  the  hero  of  the  hour,  and  the  knowledge 
bore  him  down  like  a  great  weight.  He 
wished  the  occurrence  could  be  forgotten, 
be  passed  over  as  it  never  had  existed.  This 
fact  shows  the  modesty  that  cliaracterizcd 
him.  It  is  something  very  uncommon  in 
man. 

Time  passed,  and  little  by  little  the  awk- 
wardness wore  away  and  the  conversation 
became  easier  and  less  interrupted.  After  an 
hour  or  so  had  passed,  Paul  excused  himself 
and  took  his  leave,  with  a  cordial  invitation 
on  the  part  of  the  hostess  to  repeat  the  call. 

It  was  with  wildly-beating  pulses  that  Paul 
entered  his  room.  Eleanor  had  fascinated 
him  with  overwhelming  force.  He  was  lost, 
confused,  like  a  child  that  gazes  for  the  first 
time  on  some  gorgeous  spectacle  on  the  stage. 
He  was  bewildered,  dizzy,  and  it  was  hours 
after  he  retired  before  the  events  of  the  even- 
ing would  leave  him  and  permit  him  to  sleep. 
He  had  never,  in  all  his  experience,  seen  a 
woman  half  so  beautiful  as   Eleanor.      Her 


I06  THE   GAMBLER. 

wonderful  hair,  clear  and  limpid  eyes,  her 
melodious  and  often  caressing  voice,  her 
dainty  hands  and  slight  figure,  all  united  to 
make  of  her  an  irresistible,  almost  a  fearsome 
attraction. 

When  he  woke  in  the  morning  after  a 
feverish  sleep,  he  was  conscious  of  one  thing ; 
it  was  that  in  his  whole  heart,  soul  and  spirit, 
he  was  enthralled  by  the  beautiful  girl. 

And  Eleanor?  It  is  not  to  be  expected 
that  she  shared  to  any  considerable  extent 
the  raptures  which  had  affected  Paul.  She 
had  seen  more  of  the  social  world  than  he, 
and  was  not  so  impressible.  But  she  liked 
him.  He  had  a  manly  and  modest  face  ;  he 
conversed  intelligently ;  he  had  the  appear- 
ance of  a  gentleman  ;  and  above  all,  he  was 
the  hero  who  rescued  her  when  she  was  in 
dire  peril.  All  these  united,  left  the  young 
man — not  a  lover — but  an  admired  acquaint- 
ance who  could  easily  become  a  friend.  After 
that,  what?  The  question  presented  itself, 
but  she  put  it  away  and  declined  to  answer  it. 

Although  young,  Eleanor  had  seen  much, 
and  was  a  close  observer.  Paul  presented 
himself  as  unlike  any  young  man  she  had  ever 
before  known.     Most  of  the  men  who  had  ap- 


THE   GAMBLER.  IO7 

proached  her  when  she  lived  at  home  were 
obsequious,  full  of  flattering  remarks,  often 
awkward,  impertinent,  too  familiar,  and  fre- 
quently inane  and  feeble  in  their  conversation. 
Paul  used  no  slang  ;  he  was  not  in  the  least 
cringing,  obsequious,  nor  insolent  ;  while 
grave,  he  was  not  stupid.  He  had  a  mine  of 
humor  and  mild  irony  at  his  command,  and 
when  he  caught  the  glances  of  Eleanor,  he 
returned  them  with  a  look  which,  while  it 
expressed  admiration,  did  not  fail  to  embody 
a  high  respect.  His  broad,  square  shoulders, 
his  deep  chest,  erect  figure,  and  well-poised 
head  commanded  the  respect  which  is  always 
accorded  to  physical  excellencies. 


I08  THE   GAMBLER. 


XIV. 

TROUBLE   IS   BREWING. 

Lafarge  immediately  after  the  incident  at 
the  Creme  de  la  Creme,  went  off  on  a  long 
trip  through  the  Southwest,  and  Eleanor  saw 
no  more  of  him. 

Some  weeks  passed  ;  and  he  returned, 
reaching  the  city  after  business  hours.  Tak- 
king  a  bath,  and  having  eaten  his  supper,  he 
concluded  to  spend  the  evening  at  some  place 
of  amusement,  or  at  least  to  drop  into  one 
place  or  more,  for  a  brief  inspection  of  the 
plays,  and  more  especially,  the  actresses. 

Lafarge  was  like  many  other  city  men,  a 
good  deal  blase .  To  engage  a  seat  and  oc- 
cupy it  for  an  entire  evening  was  something 
too  intolerable ;  and  so,  he  and  others  of  his 
kind,  u^ould  drop  in  here  and  there,  look  over 
the  audience  to  see  who  was  present,  inspect 
critically  the  dress  and  appearance  of  the 
heroine  of  the  play  and  equally  critically  the 


THE   GAMBLER.  IO9 

undress  of  the  ballet  and  the  figures  of  its 
members. 

What  a  thing-  of  beauty,  what  a  joy  forever 
are  some  of  the  daughters  of  Ballet  as  they 
appear  under  the  glare  of  the  footlights,  en- 
riched by  the  high  colors  of  their  surround- 
ings !  Cheeks  glow  with  crimson  glories ; 
eyes  flash  with  supernal  brilliancy  ;  rounded 
forms  swell  out  and  curve  in  unbroken  lines 
of  voluptuous  beauty,  and  the  tiny  slipper 
scarcely  would  crush  a  fragile  violet  so  lightly 
does  it  press  the  floor! 

Go  around  the  next  forenoon  and  rap  at  the 
unpainted  door  of  a  den  on  the  third  floor  of 
a  tumbling  tenement-house.  It  opens  and 
reveals  a  broken  stove,  a  small  wooden  table, 
a  four-legged  stool,  with  one  of  the  members 
missing,  no  carpet,  a  dirty  rug,  ami  other  fur- 
nishings among  which  is  an  elderly  woman 
with  wrinkled  face,  pinched  mouth,  sallow 
complexion,  complaining  eyes,  and  a  ragged 
stocking  with  a  broken  shoe  encasing  the 
trim  ankle  and  the  shapely  foot  that  were  so 
admired  the  night  before. 

Such  are  not  always  the  contrasts  between 
the  fairy  of  the  footlights  and  the  denizen  of 
the  rookery,  but  such  are  the  differences  in 
innumerable  instances. 


no  THE   GAMBLER. 

Lafarge  strolled  negligently  into  several 
theaters,  yawning  dismally  after  he  had  re- 
mained a  few  moments,  and  then  resolved  to 
go  around  and  spend  a  few  hours  in  a  poker- 
club.  He  was  turning  to  carry  this  resolu- 
tion into  effect  when  he  happened  to  cast  his 
eye  to  the  upper  tier  of  boxes,  and  there  came 
over  him  a  sudden  change.  He  rubbed  his 
eyes,  stared  intently,  and  as  he  did  so,  his 
breathing  grew  deeper,  the  swarthy  hue  of 
his  cheeks  became  almost  inky  in  its  hue, 
and  his  eyes  glittered  with  a  malignant  light. 

In  one  of  the  boxes  were  seated  Eleanor, 
Paul  Calkins,  and  a  young  lady  whom  he  did 
not  know. 

Could  all  the  hatred  concentrated  in  his  ex- 
pression have  been  launched  in  a  single  cur- 
rent on  the  occupants  of  the  box  the}-  would 
have  been  struck  dead  as  surely  as  by  the 
blow  of  a  thunderbolt. 

After  the  performance,  the  three  occupants 
of  the  box  took  the  street-cars  in  the  direc- 
tion of  their  home.  They  were  happy,  chatty, 
and  smiling  as  they  rolled  along;  but  they 
failed  to  notice  a  dark,  scowling  face  which 
glared  at  them  through  the  window  from  the 
front   platform.     Nor    did    they    know    that 


THE   GAMBLER.  Ill 

when  they  left  the  car  for  their  residence, 
they  were  followed  at  a  short  distance  by 
a  stealthy  figure  belching-  oaths  and  blas- 
phemies, with  volcanic  vehemence. 

When  they  all  entered  the  house,  and  the 
door  closed  behind  them,  Lafarge  waited. 
He  supposed  that  Paul  would  soon  take  leave 
of  the  ladies,  and  then  he  would  meet  him. 

Would  he  murder  him  ?  Would  he  strike 
him  dead  in  his  tracks  ?  Lafarge  felt  like  the 
commission  of  any  crime.  Here  was  the  only 
woman  whom  he  had  ever  loved  with  his 
whole  intense  soul,  in  company,  and  on 
familiar  terms  with  the  "country-jake"  that 
he  himself  had  been  the  means  of  rescuing 
from  the  insignificance  of  the  station  of  a 
hostler. 

The  reflection  drove  him  to  the  very  bor- 
ders of  insanity.  Unbeliever  in  Jesus  Christ, 
like  the  other  profane  men  of  his  faith,  he 
used  His  name  in  a  thousand  varied  forms  of 
blasphemy. 

The  time  passed,  and  Paul  did  not  come 
out.  Slowly  the  lights  on  the  various  floors 
were  extinguished,  and  save  a  dim  hall-light, 
the  residence  slept  in  darkness. 

Here    was    another    perplexing    mystery. 


112  THE   GAMBLER. 

Could  it  be  that  Paul  was  married  to  Eleanor, 
or  could  it  be  that  she  had  become  his  mis- 
tress, and  that  this  was  an  infamous  house  ? 
The  possibility  was  suppressed  almost  before 
born.  He  was  too  good  a  judge  of  faces. 
The  girl  with  Paul  and  Eleanor,  he  knew  to 
be  a  pure  woman,  and  as  such,  she  would  not 
be  a  party  to  any  wrong-doing. 

He  remained  moodily  and  mechanically 
watching  the  house  till  long  after  midnight ; 
and  it  was  only  when  a  suspicious  policeman 
asked  what  he  was  standing  around  there  for, 
that  he  moved  away. 

Late  as  it  was,  he  determined  to  see 
Natalie.  Scarcely  believing  in  a  God,  a 
future  immortality,  nor  in  aught  outside  the 
appreciation  of  the  senses,  he  yet  was  as 
superstitious  as  a  savage.  In  a  general  way 
he  recognized  a  deity  called  Chance,  and  to 
whom  he  paid  constant  worship. 

A  strange  power  this  god  of  the  gamblers ! 
Impersonal,  without  location,  unapproachable 
through  prayer,  or  sacrifice,  intangible,  and 
yet  everlastingly  in  the  mind  of  the  card- 
player. 

Perhaps  a  solution  of  this  strange  belief 
may  be  found  in  the  fact  that  there  is  in  the 


THE   GAMBLER.  II3 

minds  of  most  people  a  conviction  of  the  ex. 
istence  of  some  superior  power,  and  which 
is  known  as  God. 

This  power  is  one  that  punishes  evil  ;  but 
such  is  not  the  God  desired  by  the  gambler 
whose  mission  is  one  of  unmitigated  wrong. 
To  escape  the  consequences  of  his  acts,  he 
repudiates  the  God  who  damns  the  wicked  ; 
but,  unable  to  rid  himself  of  the  behef  of  a 
controlling  power  he  changes  its  nature. 
He  calls  it  Chance,  something  that  is  potent 
and  yet  which  will  wink  at  a  life  of  iniquity  ; 
whose  good  will  or  the  reverse  can  be  learned 
in  advance  through  dreams,  signs,  and  the 
divination  of  women. 

It  is  a  curious  god,  this  deity  of  the  profes- 
sion. Its  will  and  intentions  are  not  learned 
through  a  written  revelation.  These  are  to 
be  discovered  through  legend  and  personal 
experience.  If  the  player  is  unlucky  in  his 
seat,  he  attempts  to  placate  his  deity  by  get- 
ting up  and  walking  round  his  chair.  If  one 
player  puts  his  foot  on  the  chair  of  another, 
it  is  unlucky.  Sometimes  the  erratic  god  of 
the  sport  is  induced  to  lend  his  assistance  by 
an  odd  coin,  a  piece  of  metal  of  some  kind, 
or  any  unusual  thing  laid  in  front  of  the 
player. 


114  THE   GAMBLER. 

There  may  be  something  used  to  placate, 
which  enrages  Chance ;  if  so  it  is  a  "hoodoo  ;" 
if  it  is  successful,  it  is  a  "mascot." 

All  these  and  ten  thousand  other  trivialities 
and  absurdities  are  in  use  among  the  wor- 
shipers of  Chance.  They  are  more  stupid 
than  the  worship  of  savages  for  bits  of  rags, 
pieces  of  stone  and  knotted  sticks.  They  are 
calculated  for  the  cult  of  a  class  that  is  with- 
out conscience,  without  a  God,  without  a 
hope  in  the  future,  and  with  no  higher  inspi- 
ration than  greed  of  gain. 

Lafarge  found  Natalie  in  her  old  place,  and 
with  no  noticeable  change  in  her  environment. 
She  glanced  at  him  sharply  as  he  seated  him- 
self, and  said  : 

"More  trouble,  my  son.  What  is  it? 
Have  you  gambled  for  a  woman  and  lost?" 

"Yes,"  he  responded  in  a  bitter  tone,  "3^ou 
told  me  when  I  was  here  last  that  I  have 
a  rival.  It  is  true.  I  have  found  him,  and 
w^hat  grinds  my  soul  is  that  he  is  my  own 
work.  I  found  him  and  brought  him  here.  I 
warmed  the  frozen  viper  that  has  stung  me! 
I  shall  kill  him  !  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Natalie.  "  Blood  is  good.  Kill 
him  and  we  will  (^ffer  hini  as  a  sacrifice.  Tell 
me  about  him." 


THE   GAMBLER.  I  I  5 

Lafarge  related  all  the  details  concerning 
his  meeting  with  Paul,  his  falling  in  love 
with  Eleanor,  the  lailure  of  his  attempt  at  the 
luncheon,  and  his  meeting  them  at  the  theater. 

"  You  have  the  right  to  be  angry,  poor  boy," 
said  Natalie,  in  a  soothing  tone.  "  You  have 
suffered ;  you  must  and  shall  be  avenged. 
Revenge  is  taught  by  my  religion,  and  blood 
is  the  only  atonement.'' 

"  You  are  right ;  I  will  kill  him  !  " 

"  Not  now.  To  kill  him  now  would  be 
right,  but  it  would  be  a  poor  revenge.  You 
are  too  wise  a  man  to  think  that  the  kiUing  of 
your  enemy  would  wipe  out  a  great  injury. 
You  kill  him,  he  suffers  for  an  instant,  and 
then  he  is  dead.  He  suffers  no  more.  Your 
revenge  can  be  carried  no  further." 

"  What  then  would  you  do?  " 

"  Kill  him,  but  not  with  a  sudden  blow. 
Kill  him  by  inches.  Let  him  suffer  the  pains 
of  death  for  years.  Let  him  always  fcQl  the 
agonies  of  dying  and  yet  not  die  till  you  give 
the  word." 

The  words  of  the  Ogress  seemed  to  produce 
a  favorable  impression  on  Lafarge.  The 
frown  melted  away  from  his  brow,  and  a 
smile  came  over  his  face. 


tl6  THE   GAMBLER. 

Till  daylight  came,  the  two  sat  there  and 
talked.  When  Lafarge  finally  rose  to  leave, 
his  face  was  of  a  ghastly  yellowish  pallor,  and 
his  eyes  deeply  shotted  with  blood. 

"  Is  it  agreed  ? "  said  Natalie,  as  he  was 
leaving. 

"  Yes,  by  G — !  You  shall  have  the  sacri- 
fice !  " 

Upon  his  appearance  at  the  office  the  same 
day,  he  saw  Eleanor  at  her  desk  and  bowed 
to  her  in  respectful  silence.  He  remained 
about  for  some  time,  and  while  speaking  now 
and  then  of  business  matters,  he  made  no 
allusion  to  the  visit  to  the  Creme  de  la  Creme. 

She  had  been  very  much  alarmed  for  a  long 
time  after  her  visit  to  the  restaurant,  and  was 
disposed  to  avoid  Lafarge  as  an  enemy.  But 
as  she  came  to  reflect  carefully  over  all  the 
details  of  the  occurrence,  she  could  recall 
nothing  at  which  she  could  really  take  alarm 
or  offence.  Why  she  had  been  affected  as 
she  was  she  could  not  divine.  In  fine,  after  a 
time  she  began  to  feel  more  kindly  toward 
Lafarge  and  to  think  that  she  had  treated  him 
unjustly. 

His  scrupulous  politeness  after  his  return ; 
his  avoidance  of  any  allusion  to  the  incidental 


THE   GAMBLER.  II7 

the  luncheon  so  far  affected  her  that  she  forgot 
all  her  terrors  and  prejudices  against  him  and 
henceforth  treated  him  as  she  had  before  the 
meeting  at  the  Creme  de  la  Creme.  That  is, 
she  did  not  treat  him  at  all  as  an  intimate 
acquaintance,  but  the  same  as  she  did  the 
manager  and  other  leading  employes  in  the 
establishment. 

Very  soon  after  his  visit  to  the  Ogress, 
Lafarge  called  at  Paul's  place  of  business. 
He  was  more  than  usually  polite  and  affable 
and  made  himself  especially  agreeable. 

"  I  think  you  are  a  little  pale,"  remarked 
Lafarge,  as  he  was  about  to  leave.  "  You  are 
keeping  yourself  too  close.  I  must  think  up 
something  to  amuse  you.  Why  you  have 
been  here  only  a  year,  and  are  already  getting 
blase!  That  wont  do!  I'll  come  around 
some  day  and  introduce  some  new  diversion." 

"  Thanks  !  Anything  you  can  propose  must 
be  good  !     Let  me  know  when  you  are  ready." 

They  parted  with  an  exchange  of  expressions 
of  mutual  good  will. 


Il8  THE   GAMBLER. 


XV. 

FRIENDSHIP,    MARRIAGE   AND    LOVE. 

It  may  be  readily  surmised  that  the  constant 
association  of  Eleanor  and  Paul  would  result 
in  a  warm  friendship,  even  if  it  should  not 
proceed  further. 

"  Further,"  in  this  instance  is  not  the  proper 
form  of  expression,  for  friendship  is,  beyond 
question,  a  higher  condition  than  that  termed 
love.  The  former  is  founded  on  mutual  es- 
teem, active  sympathies,  harmonious  tastes ; 
the  latter  is  often  no  more  than  an  expression 
of  passion.  Friendship  may,  and  often  does 
survive  marriage,  love  rarely  or  never. 

So  often  is  this  the  case  that  a  cynical  view 
of  these  conditions  would  lead  to  the  sugges- 
tion for  the  benefit  of  a  woman, — if  you  wish 
to  preserve  your  lover,  marry  some  one  else. 
The  same  advice  will  apply  to  the  man. 

It  is  unfortunate,  and  yet  it  is  true  that 
love,  so-called,  very  often  dies  of  a  surfeit  at 


THE   GAMBLER.  II9 

the  setting  of  the  honeymoon.  Marriage, 
considered  with  reference  to  the  protection 
given  it  by  law,  the  church  and  public  senti- 
ment, should  result  in  a  high  state  of  felicity. 
If  all  that  it  is  claimed  to  be  by  dreamers, 
poets  and  lovers,  the  union  of  two  souls  by 
matrimonial  ties  should  be  the  very  maximum 
of  human  enjoyment. 

Ah,  this  beautiful  marriage,  what  a  part  it 
plays  in  the  dreams  of  the  young  !  The  altar 
crowns  the  height  on  which  the  ideal  dwells. 
Up  there,  as  the  young  girl  climbs  slowly 
from  the  monotonous  vales  of  childhood,  her 
humid  eyes  see  an  unsurpassable  glory.  It  is 
as  holy  as  w^as  the  ground  at  Sinai.  Myste- 
rious clouds  conceal  somewhat  and  reveal 
somewhat  of  its  ineffable  blessedness.  With 
springing  step,  bounding  pulses  and  soul 
thrilling  with  she  knows  not  what  ecstacy,  she 
ascends,  she  enters,  the  glorious  cloudland. 

There  are  the  fragrance  of  orange-blossoms, 
low,  sensuous  strains  of  music,  and  billows  of 
lace  that  float  about  her  in  rhythmic  undula- 
tions. Superb  is  she,  if  never  before,  at  this 
divine  moment.  Sweet  emotions  blossom 
redly  on  her  cheek;  her  eyes  droop  tenderly 
and  languidly  with  the  weight  of  timid  and 


I20  THE   GAMBLER. 

blissful  anticipations.  She  clings  with  a  deli- 
cious, with  a  caressing  dependence  to  the  arm 
of  her  ideal,  and  then  she  disappears  in  the 
cloudland  of  matrimony. 

Two,  five,  ten  years  pass,  and  one  meets  the 
same  person,  no  longer  a  girl  but  now  a 
woman.  There  is  no  trace  of  the  fair,  clinging, 
crimson-cheeiied  novice,  with  step  light  as  the 
weight  of  a  thistle-down,  who  knelt  before 
the  altar.  The  cheek  is  hollow  ;  the  eyes 
with  their  tender  light  effaced,  have  grown 
hard,  steely,  unsympathetic.  The  ripe  and 
rosy  lips  have  become  bloodless,  and  the  cor- 
ners of  the  mouth  over  which  smiles  once 
played  bo-peep  with  the  world,  have  flattened, 
and  lines,  before  arched  like  the  bow  of  Cupid, 
have  become  thin,  firm,  compressed,  with  a 
querulous  droop  in  their  extremities.  Indif- 
ference stamps  a  face  once  beautiful  with 
mysterious  inquisitiveness.  Lines  have  fur- 
rowed through  the  velvety  soil  of  the  face,  a 
tinge  of  sailowness  has  supplanted  the  bloom, 
and  something  suggestive  of  satiety  has  hard- 
ened the  expression  and  taken  the  place  of 
the  eager  inquir}^  and  innocence  which  were 
once  so  dominant. 

And  he?     What  of  him?     During  the  love 


THE    GAMBLER.  I2I 

period,  who  more  chivalrous,  devoted,  tender, 
considerate  than  he?  Every  moment  that  he 
could  not  bask  in  the  sunshine  of  her  pres- 
ence was  bleak  and  glacial.  How  caressingly 
he  held  her  hands  and  brushed  back  the  hair 
from  her  brow  ;  how  frequent  the  light  kisses 
on  her  eyelids,  and  how  clinging  those  on  her 
lips! 

With  his  arm  about  her  slender  v/aist,  her 
fair  head  on  his  shoulder,  and  her  glorious 
eyes  looking  directly  into  his,  how  had  they 
dreamed  and  discoursed  of  the  future  ! 

Hear  them  as  they  murmur  softly  as  the 
cooing  of  doves  : 

"  Sweetheart,''  quoth  he,  "  will  you  always 
love  me  as  now  ?" 

"Yes,  my  own." 

"And  we  will  never  quarrel,  and  we  will 
ever  be  patient  with  each  other;  and  kisses 
shall  take  the  place  of  buffets ;  and  gentle 
words  exorcise  all  threatening  storms?" 

"  Yes,  my  sweet!" 

"Shall  we  always  be  forbearing,  loving; 
shall  we  be  the  model  husband  and  wife,  who 
all  their  lives  shall  live  as  lovers  and  die  with 
unbroken  affection  and  their  arms  intertwined 
as  we  are  at  this  moment?" 


122  THE   GAMBLER. 

*'  Yes,  my  blessed  !" 

We  have  seen  her,  a  couple  or  more  years 
after  marriage  ;  what  of  him,  the  cavaher,  the 
devoted  lover? 

He  comes  home  disappointed  with  his  busi- 
ness, and  brings  his  ill-nature  with  him.  No 
kiss  greets  him  at  the  door.  The  wife,  with 
her  hair  in  bang-papers,  and  an  ill-fitting  wrap- 
per, meets  him.  He  storms  at  the  grocery 
bills,  at  the  accounts  of  the  dry-goods  mer- 
chant. The  cooking  is  vile,  the  house  too 
warm  or  too  cold,  there  is  nothing  as  it  should 
be.  Night  after  night  he  stays  at  the  "  club, 
detained  by  business,"  and  comes  home  with 
a  reeking  breath,  and  an  unsteady  step.  Once 
he  would  spend  every  possible  moment  at 
her  side,  and  now  he  spends  every  possible 
moment  somewhere  else. 

Where,  in  these  two,  does  one  find  a  ves- 
tige of  the  once-bright  and  hopeful  lovers? 
Not  a  trace  of  them  remains. 

Their  case  is  the  average  one.  Its  experi- 
ence proves  the  truth  of  the  cynic's  state- 
ment :  "  If  you  wish  to  keep  your  lover,  do 
not  marry  him." 

Paul  and  Eleanor,  being  human,  might  com- 
mit the  same  error  that  is  committed  by  the 


THE   GAMBLER.  123 

majority — that  of  mistaking  a  passion  for  a 
sufficient  basis  on  wliich  to  found  a  permanent 
union.  Fortunately  for  them,  neither  was  of 
a  nature  to  rush  to  extremes,  and  to  hastily 
form  a  conclusion  which  would  last  a  life 
time. 

They  were  thrown  together  a  good  deal, 
and  found  their  mental  and  moral  atmos- 
pheres to  be  congenial  and  harmonious. 

They  gradually  became  friends  ;  insensibly 
they  were  attracted  to  each  other  without 
effort  on  their  part.  Marriage  formed  no 
part  of  their  thoughts  or  lives — at  least  for  a 
long  time.  There  grew  up  between  them  a 
species  of  camaraderie  that  was  not  based  on 
passion,  but  on  pure  regard  and  sympathy. 
Without  any  assurances  on  his  part,  she  felt 
that  he  was  her  friend,  on  v\diom  she  could 
depend  for  her  life  ;  and  he  knew  without  be- 
ing told,  that  she  respected  him  and  enter- 
tained for  him  a  lasting  regard. 

This  period  in  their  lives  was  one  of  court- 
ship, although  they  did  not  know  it.  They 
were  preparing  themselves  unconsciously  for 
a  higher  union.  Their  ideas,  tastes,  hopes, 
were  gradually  being  assimilated  by  associa- 
tion with  each  other. 


124  THE    GAMBLER. 

Such  an  intercourse  is  not  perturbed  by  the 
interference  of  troublous  passions.  Two 
souls  thus  communing  on  lofty  spiritual  planes 
are  not  subject  to  the  disturbances  which  pre- 
vail in  the  lower  atmospheres.  They  avoid 
the  contact  of  the  fleshly  lovers  ;  they  breathe 
an  air  free  from  base,  stimulating,  erotic  ele- 
ments ;  and  are  never  distracted  by  emotional 
anticipations  which  impair  the  purity  of  their 
affections. 

It  was  not  till  they  had  firmly  become 
united  as  friends  that  the  thought  of  a  closer 
union  presented  itself. 

"  We  are  friends,"  said  Paul  to  Eleanor,  as 
the  family  was  assembled  in  the  parlor,  one 
evening.  "  Don't  you  think  we  should  always 
remain  so?" 

"  Yes,"  replied  Eleanor. 

"Why    not?"  asked  Mrs.  Jackson. 

"  Why  not,  of  course,"  said  Helen. 

"  Well,  then,"  rejoined  Paul,  "  I  think  we 
should  marry." 

The  remark  seemed  to  cause  no  surprise 
in  the  little  circle.  For  months  the  mother 
and  daughter  had  anticipated  such  an  out- 
come. Eleanor  dropped  her  eyes  and  made 
no  immediate  reply.     Paul  continued: 


THE   GAMBLER.  I25 

"  It  is  not  at  all  necessary  that  we  should 
marry  to  retain  our  friendship.  That  I  be- 
lieve is  so  well  built  as  to  be  indestructible. 
But  friendship  is  better  with  its  own  home. 
We  might  be  thrown  apart  by  circumstances. 
Marriage  is  simply  the  permission  of  society 
for  us  to  live  together.  As  her  husband  I  can 
assist  in  her  support ;  I  can  relieve  her  from 
the  drudgery  which  is  now  inflicted  on  her." 

Few  proposals  of  marriage  have  ever  been 
made  in  this  abrupt  manner  ;  and  yet  it  can- 
not be  said  that  it  appeared  thus  to  Eleanor. 
Her  life  and  that  of  Paul  had  drifted  closely 
together,  and  for  some  time  had  been  moving 
side  by  side.  The  proffer  of  Paul  seemed 
a  natural  thing  under  the  circumstances.  It 
was  only  to  cement  by  a  form  the  union 
which  in  spirit  already  existed. 

They  were  soon  after  this  conversation 
united  by  the  ceremony  of  marriage.  A  few 
friends  gathered  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Jack- 
son, who  gave  away  the  bride.  The  latter 
was  simply  attired  in  a  handsome  traveling 
dress.  There  was  no  ostentatious  display 
whose  splendor  would  afford  a  pointed  con- 
trast to  later,  and  possibly,  wretched  sur- 
roundings. 


126  THE   GAiMBLER. 

The  relatives  of  Eleanor  refused  to  sanction 
the  union,  or  even  to  be  present  at  the  wed- 
ding. 

"  Eleanor  is  married,  I  understand,"  re- 
marked Mrs.  Wright,  in  the  course  of  a  little 
chat  with  a  sympathizing  female  neighbor. 
"  The  man  she  married  may  be  all  right  so 
far  as  youth,  health,  good  habits  and  business 
are  concerned,  but  he  is  not  in  our  set.  His 
father  was  a  plain  farmer.  We  had  other 
plans  for  her  marriage,  and  my  heart  is 
broken  over  her  obstinacy.  She  has  made  her 
bed,  and  she  must  lie  on  it !  " 

Helen  Jackson  shed  no  end  of  tears  when 
the  carriage  came  to  take  the  newly-married 
couple  to  the  station,  but  she  was  somewhat 
mollified  with  the  promise  that  the  pair  would 
continue  their  residence  in  her  mother's  house. 

At  the  depot  they  met  Lafarge.  He  con- 
gratulated them  on  their  marriage,  and  fer- 
vently wished  them  a  happy  journey,  not  only 
on  their  wedding  trip,  but  through  life.  As 
the  train  disappeared  from  the  station,  his 
countenance  changed  to  a  demoniac  expres- 
sion, and  he  muttered  through  his  closed 
teeth : 

"  And  now  it  is  my  turn  to  deal !  We'll  see 
what  will  be  the  outcome  !  " 


THE    GAMBLER.  12^ 

At  the  end  of  a  month,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Calkins 
returned  from  their  wedding  trip  to  their 
rooms  at  the  Jackson  residence.  She  had 
become  transformed.  Her  face  had  lost  its 
prevailing  expression  of  indifference,  and  now 
gleamed  with  a  beautiful  light.  A  divine 
tenderness  shone  softly  from  her  eyes,  and 
her  lips  seemed  attuned  only  to  the  utterance 
of  caressing  words. 

He  too,  had  changed.  His  face  had  grown 
stronger,  more  manl}^  and  yet  more  tender. 
His  tones  vibrated  with  ihe  inspiration  of  a 
deep  affection. 

The  friends,  without  ceasing  to  be  friends, 
had  become  lovers. 


PART  SECOND. 


I. 

AN  INCANTATION. 

It  is  past  midnight,  and  a  strange  scene  is 
presented  in  the  room  of  Natalie,  the  Ogress. 
The  windows  are  carefully  screened  with  the 
curtains  so  as  to  prevent  the  entrance  or  exit 
of  the  smallest  ray  of  light.  The  gas-jets  are 
turned  off,  and  a  dim  illumination  is  furnished 
by  some  twisted  pieces  of  cloth  which  are 
burning  and  soaking  in  a  shallow  dish  filled 
with  some  fluid. 

These  burning  wicks  emit  a  yellow  flame 
which  distorts  while  half  concealingthe  objects 
in  the  room.  A  bureau  against  one  side  of  the 
apartment  is  covered  with  black  cloth.  A  tall 
wardrobe  is  hung  with  the  same  somber 
material. 

It  is  a  diabolical  arrangement,  suggestive 
9  129 


130  THE   GAMBLER. 

only  of  the  sinister,  of  the  demoniac.  On  a 
lounge  is  seated  Lafarge,  who  gazes  with 
curiosity  and  terror  at  the  figure  of  Natalie. 
She  stands  before  the  black-draped  bureau, 
on  the  top  of  which  amidst  the  dense  sur- 
roundings of  black,  there  gleams  a  skull.  She 
has  stripped  her  shoulders  of  clothing,  and  is 
naked  to  the  hips.  Her  bony  form,  her  flat 
bosom  are  hardly  distinguishable  in  the  ray- 
less  gloom  of  the  room.  Her  long,  mane-like 
hair  falls  in  a  tumbling  cataract  almost  to  her 
feet. 

The  white  gleam  of  her  protruding  tusks 
and  the  bony  glare  from  the  skull  accentuate 
the  darkness.  She  holds  in  one  hand  a  small, 
sharp-bladed  knife,  and  in  the  other  a  slender 
branch  of  cedar. 

She  regards  fixedly  the  skull  with  its  double 
rows  of  large  and  perfect  teeth. 

"  Hear  me,  oh  father !"  she  says.  "  Hear 
me,  the  priestess,  and  thy  daughter!  Give 
what  I  wish!     Give  me  the  revenge  I  seek!" 

At  this  point,  with  the  keen  knife  she  gashes 
herself  on  her  shoulder,  arm  and  breast. 
The  dull  red  blood  flows  over  the  black  skin 
and  covers  it  with  a  hideous  stam.  She  drops 
the  knife,  seizes  a  sponge  and  carefully  passes 


THE   GAMBLER.  I3I 

it  over  the  spreading  blood,  and  absorbs  it. 
Then  she  squeezes  the  sponge  over  a  little 
cup  and  places  the  vessel  in  front  of  the  grin- 
ning mouth  of  the  skull. 

"  Hear  me,"  again  she  exclaims  in  pleading 
tones.  "  Hear  me,  oh,  my  father  !  It  is  the 
priestess,  thy  daughter,  who  calls  !  Grant  my 
wish  !     Give  me  the  revenge  which  I  seek  !" 

She  remains  silent  for  a  few  moments  star- 
ing into  the  bony  caverns  where  the  eyes  of 
the  skull  once  gleamed  ;  and  then  a  menacing 
look  comes  into  her  countenance,  and  she 
ejaculates  in  a  commanding  tone : 

"I  have  given  thee  my  blood  to  drink;  I, 
the  priestess,  thy  daughter.  Dare  not  to 
refuse  my  request!  If  thou  dost  refuse, 
beware!"  and  so  saying  she  strikes  the  skull 
across  the  bony  cheeks  with  the  branch  of 
cedar. 

The  worship  and  the  incantation  and  invo- 
cations of  the  Fetich  priestess  are  ended.  She 
wraps  a  shawl  around  her  blood-stained  shoul- 
ders and  breast;  lifts  the  drapery  and  covers 
the  skull,  lights  the  gas  and  extinguishes  the 
sputtering  wicks  in  the  shallow  dish.  In  the 
strong  light,  her  face  is  ghastly  as  that  of  the 
corpse  of  a  strangled    man  ;  her   eyes  seem 


132  THE   GAMBLER. 

sinking  out  of  sight  in  their  deep  cavities,  and 
her  tusks  gnaw  convulsively  her  lower  lip. 

"  Go  now !"  she  says  faintl}^  to  Lafarge. 
Pale  as  death  he  unlocks  the  door,  and  noise- 
lessly descends  the  stairway  to  the  street. 

There  may  be  those  who  doubt  the  exist- 
ence of  this  horrible  class  of  occurrences  in 
Chicago.  If  so,  it  is  entertained  by  people 
who  know  nothing  of  the  real  nature  of  the 
gambler.  He  is  as  much  a  Fetichist  as  ever 
was  found  in  Central  Africa.  He  is  a  mate- 
rialist the  same  as  the  other;  he  believes  in 
"  mascots  "  and  "  hoodoos,"  and  like  the  sav- 
age worshiper  he  honors  or  curses  his  Fetich 
according  to  the  luck  he  encounters.* 

"  Fetichism,"  says  an  eminent  writer,  "  is 
conditional.  If  it  insures  prosperity,  it  is 
highly  honored  ;  otherwise  it  is  cast  away  as 
worthless." 

Who  that  is  familiar  with  the  habits  of 
gamblers  has  not  noticed  this  phase  of  wor- 
ship? If  the  coin,  or  the  key,  or  whatever 
be  the  Fetich  of  the  player,  is  accompanied 
by  prosperity,  it  is  honored  ;  otherwise  it  is 
cast  away  as  worthless. 

In  fine,  the  gambler  is  a  Fetichist,  with  all 


*Sec  Supplementary  Notes. 


THE   GAMBLER.  I33 

the  unbelief,  the  savagery,  the  insensate  su- 
perstitions, the  brutal  material  which  the 
name  impHes. 

A  couple  of  days  after  the  occurrences  in 
the  room  of  the  Ogress,  Lafarge  made  his 
way  to  the  apartments  of  a  clairvoyant.  He 
was  apparently  determined  to  spare  no  effort 
to  secure  guarantees  of  the  success  of  his 
purpose — whatever  his  purpose  may  have 
been. 

The  woman  on  whom  he  was  gomg  to  call 
had  a  wide  reputation  among  card  and  grain- 
gamblers.  She  occupied  a  suite  of  rooms  on 
the  second  floor  of  a  house  on  one  of  the 
principal  streets  in  the  West  division. 

Entering  a  narrow  stairway,  Lafarge 
climbed  to  the  first  floor,  and  went  into  a 
waiting  room  in  which  a  dozen  people  had 
gathered.  They  were  of  both  sexes,  some 
old,  others  young  girls,  some  well  and  others 
shabbily-dressed.  It  was  to  be  noticed  that 
in  this  gathering  as  in  others  for  the  same 
purpose,  certain  facial  traits  predominated. 
What  mio:ht  be  called  the  averaare  man  and 
woman,  was  not  to  be  seen.  They  were  vari- 
ations from  the  regular  type.  They  wore 
their  hair  longer  or  shorter  than  most  people. 


134  THE    GAMBLER. 

The  faces  were  either  longer  or  more  con- 
tracted than  the  common  face  ;  there  was  an 
appreciable  difference  in  the  dress  and  the 
manner  in  which  it  was  worn. 

In  fine,  an  experienced  observer  would  have 
discovered  in  an  instant's  glance  that  the 
waiting  people  differed  from  the  masses. 
Even  where  a  man  or  a  woman,  in  clothing, 
style  of  hair  and  the  like  resembled  the  speci- 
men, there  was  some  little  thing  in  the  glance 
of  the  eye,  in  the  arrangement  of  the  lips 
that  indicated  aberration — a  variation  from 
the  regular  type. 

Those  waiting  entered  another  room  as 
they  were  called  by  an  attendant,  who  also 
gave  evidence  of  a  variation  ;  and  those  whcj 
had  interviewed  the  clairvoyant,  came  out 
slowly,  and  went  down  the  stairwa3\  There 
was  infinite  variety  in  their  appearance  as 
they  issued  from  the  other  room.  Some 
wore  looks  of  elation  ;  in  fact,  the  majority 
were  of  this  kind.  It  was  evident  that  one  of 
the  efforts  of  the  seei'ess  was  to  console. 

Yovnig  girls,  especially,  were  comforted  by 
what  they  heard.  Some  of  these  who  went 
in  with  handkerchiefs  over  their  eyes,  came 
out  with  sunny  faces. 


THE    GAMBLER.  I35 

Lafarge's  turn  finally  came,  and  he  was 
ushered  in.  He  nodded  familiarly  to  the 
occupant,  and  it  was  at  once  evident  that  they 
were  not  strangers. 

It  was  a  woman  above  middle  age  that 
greeted  him.  There  were  no  paraphernalia 
characteristic  of  sorcery.  A  plain  wooden 
table,  without  covering,  stood  near  the  clair- 
voyant, and  there  was  an  extra  chair  for  the 
visitor. 

Madame  La  Blanche,  as  she  styled  herself 
in  her  advertisements  in  the  daily  newspapers, 
was  the  "World-renowned  clairvoyant,"  and 
whose  notice  further  read  :  "At  once  know 
the  future ;  consult  Madame  La  Blanche  on 
love,  marriage,  divorce,  lawsuits,  lucky  num- 
bers ;  nativities  given,  tells  whether  stocks 
will  rise  or  fall,  and  charms  and  love  affairs 
a  specialty." 

More  concise  than  grammatical ! 

The  madame  was  a  short,  slender  woman, 
with  her  hair  cut  very  close  to  her  scalp  ;  her 
nose  was  thin  and  pointed,  her  breast  flat,  and 
her  general  tendency  in  the  direction  of  bones 
and  emaciation.  Her  eyes  were  gray  and  as 
bright  as  polished  steel,  and  her  lips  thin  and 
compressed,  giving  her  an  appearance  of  see- 
ing everything  and  telling  nothing. 


136  THE   GAMBLER. 

"  Well,  madame,"  said  Lafarge,  "what  have 
you  to  tell  me  to-day?" 

She  scanned  his  face  for  a  second  with  her 
bright,  piercing  eyes,  and  answered,  "  We'll 
see  !" 

She  raised  her  right  hand  and  swept  it 
across  and  near  to  her  face.  After  this  had 
been  done  several  times,  her  eyes  rolled  up 
in  their  sockets  till  only  the  whites  were 
visible^  her  face  twitched  violently,  her  form 
was  convulsed  by  vibrations  ;  her  eyelids 
closed,  and  then  she  sank  back  in  her  chair 
with  a  long  sigh.  She  appeared  to  be  asleep 
or  unconscious.  Then,  in  a  voice,  lower, 
thinner  than  her  own,  and  very  like  that  of  a 
young  girl,  she  began  speaking  in  rapid 
tones : 

"  You  are  in  trouble.  You  are  in  love  with 
a  beautiful  woman,  and  there  is  a  blond  man 
in  your  way.  You  have  enemies.  You  are 
going  on  a  journey.  You  will  get  letters 
with  bad  news.  Wheat  is  going  to  advance. 
There  will  be  a  fall  in  Reading  and  Wabash. 

"  I  see  some  one  in  the  air  above  your  head. 
It  is  an  old  person  with  long  gray  hair,  and 
a  long,  full  beard.  He  is  an  Israelite,  and  he 
seems  disturbed.     He  is  gone." 


THE    GAMBLER.  T37 

"  It  must  be  my  father,"  muttered  Lafarge. 

"  You  are  going  to  be  exposed  to  a  great 
danger.  Don't  venture  too  much  in  unpro- 
tected quarters  of  the  city.  I  see  in  the  air 
444666.  Don't  play  lottery  till  the  last 
quarter  of  the  moon. 

"You  will  be  lucky  in  cards  for  a  month. 
Don't  meet  the  blond  man  in  a  lonely  place 
in  the  dark." 

Here  the  clairvoyant  shuddered,  her  face 
twitched,  she  passed  her  hand  across  her 
brows  and  hair,  opened  her  eyes,  and 
straightened  herself  up. 

"  Was  it  good?"  she  asked  in  her  natural 
voice. 

"  Not  so  very  d d  good  !"  was  the  sharp 

reply.  *'  I've  heard  worse,  but  not  much. 
I'll  buy  50,000  wheat,  and  go  -'short'  on 
Reading." 

He  gave  her  a  greenback,  and  went  away. 


138  THE   GAAlBLliR. 


II. 

PREPARING   THE   WAY. 

One  afternoon  Lafarge  dropped  into  the 
place  ot  business  where  Calkins  was  en- 
gaged. The  usual  friendly  salutations  passed 
between  the  two,  after  which  the  conversation 
wandered  in  various  directions. 

"  You  are,  of  course,  enjoying  your  married 
life?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  immensely.  I  have  a  good  wife. 
a  pleasant  home,  excellent  health,  and  a  fair 
business.  What  more  could  one  wish  in  this 
life?" 

"  No  more,  to  be  sure  !  I  think,  however, 
that  there  is  one  direction  in  which  you  might 
find  a  good  deal  of  enjoyment,  and  which,  in 
addition,  would  increase  your  social  import- 
ance, get  you  acquainted  with  desirable  men, 
and  extend  your  business  clientele." 

"  All  that  is  desirable,  most  certainly.  What 
is  the  direction  you  refer  to  ?" 


THE   GAMBLER.  1 39 

"  It  is  that  of  club  membership.  The  best 
elements  in  commercial  and  other  great  cen- 
ters always  aggregate  their  forces,  not  in  a 
single  body,  but  they  crystalize  with  reference 
to  tastes,  business  pursuits,  and  other  causes 
which  are  harmonious.  Already,  Chicago  is 
demonstrating  its  cosmopolitan  character  by 
the  organization  of  clubs.  As  in  London, 
club  membership  is  getting  to  be  the  stamp 
of  social  and  intellectual  value.'' 

"  I  see  no  objection  to  my  following  the 
example  of  other  men  in  this  matter.  Have 
you  any  club  that  you  would  suggest  as  a  de- 
sirable one  ?'' 

''  I  can't  say,  just  at  this  moment.  1  will 
think  of  the  matter.  I  belong  to  two  or  three 
commercial  and  social  organizations,  and  I 
will  look  them  over,  and  see  which  I  can  rec- 
commend  to  you." 

"  Thanks !" 

"  What  you  need  is  not  a  membership  in 
some  aggregation  of  antiquarians,  or  old 
fogies,  fellows  with  gray  hair,  or  no  hair, 
with  spectacles,  and  vv^ho  mumble  thi^ough 
their  gums,  and  discourse  only  of  antiquities. 
On  the  contrary,  you  are  young,  and  you 
would  naturally  prefer   association  with  men 


140  THE    GAMBLER. 

of  your  own  age.  We  grow  old  fast  enough 
in  the  natural  course  of  things  ;  if  we  can 
postpone  the  evil  day,  we  ought  to  do  it. 
One  way  to  bring  it  about  is  to  associate  with 
those  whose  cheeks  are  red,  and  pulses  bound- 
ing with  the  vigor  of  youth  and  health.  We 
are  salamanders  in  a  certain  sense  ;  we  become 
characterized  by  our  surroundings.  In  the 
company  of  the  old  we  insensibly  affiliate 
with  them,  and  the  same  is  true  of  the 
young." 

They  parted,  Lafarge  promising  to  report 
at  an  early  day  the  result  of  his  inves- 
tigations. 

That  evening  Paul  communicated  to 
Eleanor  the  substance  of  the  conversation. 
She  said,  after  hearing  all  the  reasons  ad- 
vanced : 

"  I  think  it  would  be  a  good  thing  for  you 
to  join  some  one  of  the  popular  clubs,  not 
onl}^  for  the  reasons  given,  but  for  the  further 
reason  that  I  do  not  believe  that  a  husband 
can  always  be  satisfied  to  spend  all  his  time 
at  home.     I — " 

Paul  here  interrupted  her  to  say  something 
about  the  impossibility  of  a  husband,  having 
such  a  wife  as  he  had,  and  so  comfortable  a 


THE   GAMBLER.  I4I 

home,  being  in  the  least  anxious  to  spend  any 
time  elsewhere. 

She  smiled  pleasantly,  and  added  : 

"  I  am  of  course,  not  experienced  in  the 
ways  of  life,  but  I  have  observed  much  and 
thought  some.  It  seems  to  me  that  nothing 
could  be  m(3re  injurious  to  the  happiness  of 
a  husband  and  wife  than  to  insist  on  their 
eternal  companionship.  The  child  does  not 
always  cling  to  the  apron  string  of  its  mother, 
but  often  wanders  off  for  a  little  freedom, 
and  association  with  its  own  fancies.  The 
husband  or  wife  that  is  made  to  feel  that  con- 
stant association  is  obligatory,  will  soon  be- 
gin to  feel  tiiat  he  or  she  is  wearing  a  chain. 

"  I  do  not  believe  that  the  Siamese  twins 
were  ever  happy  in  their  union.  Could  they 
have  separated  at  will,  they  would  doubtless 
always  have  remained  near  each  other,  but 
their  enforced  connection  must  have  been 
intolerable. 

"  I  should  be  pleased  if  you  would  join 
some  worthy  organization.  An  occasional 
separation  will  benefit  us  both.  No  husband 
and  wife,  however  forbearing,  kindly-hearted 
and  loving  they  may  be,  can  stand  the  test  of 
everlasting    contact.     Unintermitting    famil- 


142  THE   GAMBLER. 

iarity  is  sure  to  breed  contempt,  as  well  in 
the  case  of  many  married  people  as  among 
others.'' 

This  gracious  and  reasonable  consent  on 
the  part  of  his  wife  increased,  if  possible,  his 
admiration  of  her  broad  common  sense. 

There  is  a  difference  in  wives. 

Mr.  Skinner  comes  home  from  business. 
His  wife,  with  deranged  hair,  an  old  wrap 
and  a  frown  greets  him  with  querulous  tones. 
The  ice-man  is  swindling  them,  there  is  a  leak 
in  the  water-pipe,  the  range  wont  work,  and 
there  is  the  devil  to  pay.  It  is  then  that  Mr. 
Skinner,  tired  out  with  his  day's  work  and 
ill-tempered  over  the  shape  his  affairs  are 
taking,  sighs  for  a  retreat  where  there  are  no 
defective  ranges  nor  leaky  water-pipes. 

He  ventures  some  evening  when  Mrs.  Skin- 
ner is  a  trifle  less  perturbed  than  usual,  to 
state  that  he  has  been  asked  to  join  the  Jolly 
Boys'  club,  and  adds  with  considerable  hes- 
itation and  an  unsettled  voice,  that  he  has  half 
a  notion  to  do  so. 

"You  have,  have  you?"  interrupts  Mrs. 
Skinner  in  a  mild  and  unmistakably  ironical 
tone.  "  It's  just  what  you  need  to  rest  your 
poor  old   body,  and  brace  up  your  shattered 


THE   GAMBLER.  I43 

nerves !''  Then  Mrs.  Skinner  drops  the 
low,  sympathetic  key  and  soars  away  on  her 
usual  high  pitch. 

"  What  do  you  want  of  a  club  ?  Isn't  this 
place  good  enough  for  you  ?  You  seem  to 
think  it's  good  enough  for  me.  You  never 
offer  to  take  me  anywhere  !  If  a  club's  what 
a  man  needs,  why  aint  it  something  that  is  the 
proper  thing  for  his  poor  wife?  How'd  you 
like  to  have  me  out  nights  attending  the  club 
of  the  Jolly  Girls  and  a-coming  home  at  all 
hours  of  the  morning,  whoopin'  like  a  Co- 
manche Indian  ? 

"  And  where  you  going  to  get  the  money, 
I'd  like  to  know,  to  spend  in  the  rantanker- 
ous  doings  of  the  Jolly  Boys  !  I  haven't  had 
a  new  dress  in  a  year ;  I  haven't  got  a  bonnet 
to  my  name — that  is  lit  to  be  seen  on  the 
streets !" 

And  thereupon  Mrs.  Skinner  bursts  into  an 
ngony  of  weeping,  and  goes  into  a  prolonged 
period  of  sulks  which  are  only  ended  when 
Mr.  Skinner  humbly  asks  her  to  allow  him  to 
furnish  the  funds  for  a  new  dress  and  bonnet. 


144  THE   GAMBLER. 


Til. 


A   NEST   OF   HAWKS. 

A  few  da3^s  after  the  club  conversation,  La- 
farge  called  on  Paul,  and  announced  that  he 
had  decided  to  recommend  the  Hawk  club 
as  the  most  desirable  one  for  him  to  unite 
with. 

"  The  Hawk  club,''  he  said,  "  was  orig- 
inally organized  by  some  newspaper  men, 
which,  you  see,  gave  it  an  excellent  intellect- 
ual foundation.  Then  actors  and  professional 
men  were  admitted  until  the  club  is  now  the 
most  cosmopolitan  in  the  city." 

"  That  is  about  the  thing  I  need,  I  sup- 
pose;  at  least  it  must  be  if  you  recommend 
it.  I'll  depend  on  you  for  all  the  necessary 
steps." 

"  All  right,  Paul.  I'll  propose  you,  and 
within  a  month  you  will  be  a  Hawk  in  full 
fellowship  with  the  brood  in  the  nest." 

Within  the  promised  time  Paul  was  pro- 
posed,  voted    on    b}'   the   directory,   elected 


THE   GAMBLER.  I45 

without  dissent,  and  admitted  to  membership. 

The  Hawk  club,  as  Lafarge  stated,  was 
originally  organized  by  some  newspaper  men. 
It  was  about  the  fifteenth  club  of  the  kind 
which  had  been  formed  by  the  same  class  of 
workers,  and  of  course,  like  all  its  predeces- 
sors, was  doomed  to  financial  failure.  When 
the  funds  in  the  treasury  had  all  disappeared 
and  ruin  faced  the  club,  it  was  determined  to 
let  in  some  men  of  other  professions  who 
were  the  possessors  of  cash. 

Some  actors — there  are  some  of  the  frater- 
nity that  have  saved  a  few  dollars — were  first 
allowed  admission,  and  as  the  contributions 
of  this  new  class  were  exhausted,  the  nets 
were  again  thrown  out  over  a  larger  surface, 
and  a  great  haul  resulted.  In  time  the  Hawks 
included  representatives  of  almost  every- 
thing. There  were  lawyers,  editors,  actors, 
Board  of  Trade  men,  merchants,  clerks,  doc- 
tors, and  in  fine,  all  sorts  of  people  from  all 
kinds  of  professions. 

Its  rooms  were  located  on  the  second, 
third  and  fourth  floors  of  a  palatial  building 
on  one  of  the  principal  streets  in  the  South 
division.  Two  broad  staircases  led  from  the 
street  to  the  first  floor,  on  which  was  a  series 
10 


146  THE   GAMBLER. 

of  rooms  en  suite,  and  the  parlors,  assembly 
rooms,  and  smaller  apartments  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  committees,  or  cloak-rooms, 
in  case  of  receptions. 

The  next  floor  contained  a  capacious  bil- 
liard-room, a  magnificently  decorated  bar, 
and  smoking  and  card-rooms.  On  the  fourth 
floor  was  one  immense  room  suitable  for  danc- 
ing parties,  theatrical  performances,  or  for 
any  purpose  which  involved  the  collection  of 
large  audiences. 

All  the  furniture  and  the  decorations  were 
of  the  best.  Costly  paintings  were  suspended 
on  the  lofty  walls ;  fine  statuai-y  gleamed 
from  the  niches  of  the  stairways ;  expensive 
carpets  and  rugs  covered  the  floors,  and 
exquisite  panels,  finished  by  the  best  local 
talent,  emblazoned  the  ceilings. 

All  these  things  were  pointed  out  to  Paul 
by  Lafarge,  who  introduced  him  to  the  club, 
and  was  showing  him  the  interior. 

"  Isn't  this  gorgeous?"  queried  Lafarge. 

"  It  is,  certainly,  very,"  was  the  response  of 
Paul,  who  was  in  excellent  humor  at  finding 
himself  a  member  of  a  club  which  possessed 
surroundings  so  opulent  and  so  striking. 

"  It   shows   the    cosmopolitanism    of    this 


THE   GAMBLER.  I47 

wonderful  city,"  continued  Lafarge.  "You 
will  meet  here  every  class  that  has  brains, 
and  go  ;  there  isn't  a  fool,  an  imbecile,  nor  a 
nincompoop  in  the  entire  club.  In  fact,  they 
are  all  hawks,  as  their  name  implies.  They 
all  have  keen  beaks,  sharp  claws,  and  wing- 
power  that  will  carry  them  to  the  very  pres- 
ence of  the  sun  !" 

It  was  in  the  nature  of  fairyland  to  the 
new  member.  A  light  inundated  the  room, 
which  was  as  powerful  as  sunlight,  and  yet 
was  modified  by  colored  globes  to  an  agree- 
able softness.  It  was  night,  and  the  rooms 
were  filled  with  visitors.  The  musical  click 
of  the  ivory  spheres  of  the  bilHard  table  came 
down  the  stairways  ;  a  grand  piano  in  the 
main  salon  was  surrounded  by  a  half  dozen 
young  fellows  who,  to  an  accompaniment  of 
one  of  their  number,  were  roaring  an  inspirit- 
ing chorus. 

The  hum  of  conversation,  and  the  bursts  of 
laughter  rose  and  fell  through  the  lofty 
rooms.  Everywhere  wei'e  life,  art,  beauty. 
Colored  waiters  in  neat  uniforms  hurried 
through  the  rooms,  their  black  faces  and 
faultless  white  shirts  and  aprons  affording  a 
pleasant  contrast. 


148  THE   GAMBLER. 

*'  Well,  Paul,  were  you  pleased  with  your 
experience  ?"  asked  Eleanor,  as  her  husband 
promptly  came  into  the  house  at  1 1  P.  M. 

"  1  am  delighted  with  the  club  and  its  mem- 
bers. The  place  is  a  palace  ;  its  fittings  are 
elysian ;  in  short,  it  is  a  poem  in  plush,  ma- 
hogany, and  colors.  But  how  have  you 
passed  the  evening?  You  did  not  find  it  un- 
endurable, I  hope?" 

"  Not  in  the  least.  I  have  read  a  little, 
practiced  the  new  song,  and  spent  some  time 
in  dreaming.  I  am  not  sure,"  she  continued 
with  a  smile  and  a  mischievous  glance  Irom 
her  eyes,  "that  I  am  not  more  glad  to  see  you 
now  than  I  would  have  been  had  you  come 
at  the  usual  hour." 

"  Ah,  indeed  !  Then  to  have  you  value  me 
as  priceless,  it  might  be  well  for  me  to  remain 
away  several  evenings  in  a  week." 

"  That  might  result  in  a  reaction,  you 
know  ;  there  is  a  condition  which  is  known 
as  'too  much  of  a  good  thing.'  However,  1 
am  glad  that  you  have  joined  the  club.  I 
know  that  men  like  to  meet  their  own  kind 
the  same  as  we.  There  are  times  when 
women  have  a  thousand  things  to  say  which 
can  onl}'  be  developed  in  the  isolation  of  their 
own  sex." 


THE   GAMBLER.  I49 

Paul  then  proceeded  to  narrate  enthusi- 
astically all  that  he  had  seen  in  the  nest  of  the 
Hawks.  His  wife  shared  his  enthusiasm,  as 
he  anticipated  great  intellectual  benefits  from 
the  eminent  men  he  would  meet  there,  and 
the  other  grand  advantages  which  would 
certainly  accrue  from  his  membership. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  at  all,"  she  said  affection- 
ately, "that  you  have  taken  a  step  which  will 
materially  influence  your  future.  That  it 
will  be  for  good,  I  am  sure." 

Will  her  prophecy,  or  her  hope,  be 
realized  ? 

Time  will  show. 

After  Lafarge  had  shown  Paul  through  the 
club-house,  he  bade  him  good-night  at  the  door, 
saying  as  the  other  left : 

"  Now,  old  fellow,  you  see  what  we  have 
here,  and  don't  forget  us.  Drop  in  as  often  as 
you  can." 

Paul  readily  promised  compliance  and  went 
away. 

Lafarge  reascended  the  stairway  to  the 
main  floor,  and  then  climbed  a  narrower  stair- 
case to  the  floor  above.  Passing  through  the 
billiard  room,  he  entered  a  hallway  which  led 
by  several  rooms  on  either  side  and  terminated 
in  a  door  covered  with  green  baize. 


I50  THE    GAMBLER. 

At  this  point  no  noise  could  be  heard  save 
the  notes  of  the  piano  from  the  grand  salon, 
and  the  metallic  click  of  the  balls  in  the  room 
behind  him. 

With  a  pass-key  he  opened  the  green  door 
and  found  himself  in  a  vestibule,  or  short  hall. 
Three  feet  in  front  of  him  was  another  door 
also  covered  with  green  stuffs.  As  he  reached 
this  second  door  a  confused  clamor  came 
faintly  from  the  other  side  of  it.  He  applied 
another  pass-ke\',  opened  the  door  and  entered 
a  large  apartment  in  which  was  a  score  of 
noisy  men. 

The  room  was  spacious,  and  adjoined  the 
main  street.  There  were  several  windows 
each  of  which  was  curtained  on  the  lower 
portion  so  as  to  permit  only  a  view  of  the 
roofs  of  the  houses  across  the  way. 

Three  circular  tables  with  green  coverings 
were  distributed  about  the  room,  and  at  each 
of  these  were  seated  from  iour  to  seven  men. 
Many  of  them  were  in  their  shirt-sleeves. 
Smaller  tables  were  placed  about  the  larger 
ones  on  which  were  beer-bottles,  glasses,  and 
other  appurtenances  of  imbibition. 

As  Lafarge  opened  the  door  scarcely  a 
glance  met  him  from  the  men  at  the  tables. 
One  man  saw  him  and  called  out: 


THE    GAMBLER.  I5I 

"  Hello,  boys,  here's  Lafarge  with  fresh 
money !  " 

Dense  volumes  of  tobacco  smoke  rolled 
from  the  center  of  each  table.  This,  with  the 
shadows  thrown  by  the  gas-jets,  obscured  the 
air  of  the  room  and  gave  it  the  appearance  of 
a  miniature  inferno. 

"  Here's  a  seat,"  bawled  a  man  at  the  table 
where  there  were  but  four  players ;  "  come 
and  sit  here  !  The  man  that's  just  left  it  got 
broke  and  we  want  to  break  you  ! " 

"  All  right,"  said  Lafarge.  "  Give  me  a 
stack !  "  he  called  to  the  attendant.  A  stack 
of  red,  white  and  blue  chips  was  deposited 
before  him,  and  the  next  minute  he  was 
absorbed  in  the  game. 


152  THE   GAMBLER. 


IV. 

A  RATTLING  GAME. 

It  was  the  poker-room  of  the  Hawk  club. 

Only  the  initiated  knew  of  its  existence  and 
locality.  Staid  old  members  who  lounged  in 
the  salons,  and  sipped  their  wine  and  chatted, 
or  read  the  newspapers,  never  suspected  that 
there  was  gambling  in  the  club. 

It  was  so  remote  from  the  occupied  rooms, 
and  so  padded  on  the  doors,  that  the  rattle  of 
chips  and  the  voices  of  the  players  never 
reached  the  other  portions  of  the  club. 

It  was  a  curious,  and  to  one  not  accustomed 
to  such  things,  a  bewildering  scene.  The  gas- 
lights took  on  a  yellow  tint  in  the  dense 
medium  of  tobacco-smoke,  and  gave  a  somber 
tone  to  the  environment. 

A  study  of  the  players  would  afford  much 
of  interest.  Before  each  was  a  pile  of  chips; 
some  with  a  small  quantitv,  others  with  great 
stacks,  thus  at  once  distinguishing  the  lucky 


THE   GAMBLER.  I53 

from  the  unfortunate.  There  were  changes 
in  the  location  of  these  parti-colored  represen- 
tatives of  money.  Now  they  were  at  rest, 
so  to  speak,  in  front  of  the  players,  in  squads, 
companies,  battalions.  The  pla3^er  was  the 
leader  in  command  of  each  of  the  forces  in 
front  of  him. 

And  now  there  is  a  rush  of  two  or  three  of 
these  privates  to  the  center  of  the  green  field. 
They  remain  alone  for  a  few  moments  as  if 
they  had  selected  the  position,  and  were  wait- 
ing for  further  events.  Suddenly  reinforce- 
ments begin  to  advance  from  the  forces  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  field.  They  rush  in,  some 
in  regular  oider,  with  closed  ranks ;  others 
come  pell  mell  and  dash  themselves  at  the 
central  point. 

Their  variegated  uniforms  of  red,  white  and 
blue  give  them  a  picturesque  appearance. 
They  are  like  gaily-dressed  soldiers,  gathered 
for  a  holiday  observance.  As  they  cluster 
about,  with  the  background  of  green,  they 
please  the  eye,  and  seem  filled  with  a  species 
of  animation,  a  sort  of  still  life. 

"  The  combat  deepens  !  On  ye  brave  !  " 
Suddenly  there  is  a  charge  from  the  main 
bodies  lying  around  on  the  outskirts.     They 


154  THE   GAMBLER. 

rush  to  the  center,  they  hide  the  green  with 
their  masses.  And  then  the  combat  ends. 
The  victorious  leader  who  has  captured  the 
struggling  hosts,  marshals  them  in  front  of 
his  standard,  his  tent.  And  thus  the  contest 
momentarily  ceases,  to  be  again  resumed  at 
short  intervals,  and  with  ever-varying  results. 

Not  the  least  curious  phase  of  the  plaving 
is  the  attitudes  and  expressions  of  the  play- 
ers. Some  of  the  faces  are  flushed  with  alco- 
hol, and  some  of  the  eyes  are  shotted  with 
blood.  Others  are  pale  or  sallow,  and  on  the 
countenances  of  all  is  fixed  an  expression  of 
eagerness,  of  intensity.  Each  is  absorbed  in 
the  play  as  if  he  were  a  surgeon  engaged  in 
tying  up  an  artery  whose  results  would  be 
deadly  were  he  for  a  single  instant  to  turn 
his  attention  elsewhere. 

Other  faces  reveal  satisfaction ;  on  others 
there  is  a  drawn  appearance  as  if  some  power 
like  the  Spanish  rack  had  lengthened  out  the 
face,  and  left  it  filled  with  long,  slender,  con- 
cave furrows.  Here  and  there  is  a  man 
whose  body  sinks  listlessly  in  his  seat,  and 
whose  countenance  is  eloquent  with  sugges- 
tions of  rage  and  defeat.  Most  of  the  play- 
ers, when    their    hands   are  free,  incessantly 


THE   GAMBLER.  1 55 

fondle  their  chips,  piling  them  by  dropping 
one  on  the  other  from  a  little  height,  or  with 
the  fingers  of  one  hand,  running  two  adjacent 
piles  into  one  so  that  in  the  process  each 
alternate  chip  from  the  two  piles  will  pass  in, 
one  above  the  other. 

He  who  can  thus  "  butt  in"  chips  is  to  be 
avoided.  It  is  a  certain  evidence  of  long  ex- 
perience in  gambling,  with  the  probabilities 
that  he  is  an  expert  professional  gamester. 

The  words  that  issue  from  the  lips  of  the 
players  mainly  relate  to  the  movement  of  the 
game. 

"  It  is  your  ante;"  "  Come  up  ;"  "  I  raise 
that ;"  "  I  see  you  ;  "  "I  pass ;"  "  It's  a  jack- 
pot ;"  "  I  open  it ;"  "  I  stay  ;"  "  That's  good  !" 
"  Take  your  foot  off  my  chair  !"  and  dozens 
of  other  terms  peculiar  to  the  game,  fly  about 
without  cessation.  Intermingled  with  these 
technical  utterances,  one  catches  often  the 
sound  of  a  savage  oath,  an  expression  of  dis- 
a  ipointment,  and  which  not  unfrequently  is 
a  tended  by  some  epithet  too  vile  for  written 
expression. 

Now  and  then  a  player  with  overcast  face 
throws  down  his  cards,  and  with  a  string  of  im- 
precations leaves  the  table.    He  may  have  lost 


156  THE   GAMBLER. 

the  last  dollar  which  stood  between  him  and 
the  starvation  of  his  family,  and  the  fact  may 
be  well  known  to  the  men  who  have  won  his 
money,  and  yet  from  not  one  of  them  is  there 
an  expression  of  regret,  or  condolence.  Such 
occurrences  are  regarded  with  brutal  indif- 
ference. 

"  The  damned  sucker  is  broke  again  !"  is 
probably  muttered  by  some  player  as  he 
scans  his  cards,  when  the  door  closes  on  the 
despairing  victim.     And  that  is  all. 

Something  of  the  haste,  the  scramble,  the 
voracity,  the  ravenousness  of  starving  swine 
feeding  out  of  a  trough  is  suggested  by  the 
demeanor  and  acts  of  a  table  of  gamblers. 

The  dominant  types  are  usually  the  same. 
There  is  the  paunchy  player,  with  cherry 
cheeks,  enormous  hands,  thick  lips,  bulging 
eyes,  and  labored  breath.  There  is  a  pock- 
marked person,  dull,  silent,  save  when  now 
and  then  he  launches  a  vehement  blasphemy 
over  his  ill-luck.  There  is  generally  a  youth 
of  nineteen,  perfectly-dressed,  with  an  incipi- 
ent moustache,  hair  parted  in  the  middle,  and 
who  smokes  cigarettes.  There  is  always  a 
"  board-of-trade"  man,  who  talks,  when  oppor- 
tunity offers,  of  July  wheat   and    September 


THE   GAMBLER.  I57 

corn.  There  is  also  a  bluff,  unkempt  farmer- 
like man,  with  stubby  fingers  and  uncleaned 
nails.  In  nearly  every  game  accessible  to  the 
public,  there  is  one  person  with  long,  slender 
fingers,  a  hooked  nose,  an  imperturbable  face, 
and  keen  eyes  that  scan  every  movement  of 
his  companions. 

Drinks  become  frequent,  faces  redder,  eyes 
more  blood-shot,  tones  louder  and  now  and 
then  menacing,  the  lines  about  the  mouth 
deeper,  the  fumes  of  the  atmosphere  more 
intolerable,  until  the  early  dawn  comes  and 
peers  over  the  curtains,  and  sees  a  frightful 
yellowish  pallor  on  the  countenances  of  the 
players.  At  this  point  Lafarge  rose,  and 
left  the  game.  Two  others  stopped  play  at 
the  same  time.  Lafarge  beckoned  them 
aside. 

"  See  here,  boys,  I  want  to  speak  to  you  a 
moment,  on  the  quiet." 

They  passed  into  a  corner  of  the  room,  and 
conversed  in  low  tones. 

"  What  I  want  to  say  is  this,"  explained 
Lafarge.  "  I  have  a  friend,  a  very  nice  gen- 
tleman, who  is  fond  of  draw,  but  who  does 
not  care  to  play  in  a  semi-public  place  like 
this.     He  has  plenty  of '  stuff,'  and  will '  bleed  ' 


158  THE   GAMBLER. 

without  squealing.  I  want  to  make  up  a 
party  of  four  to  meet  him,  and  they  must  be 
nice  gentlemen — at  least  in  manners  and  ap- 
pearance," he  added,  with  slight  contraction 
of  an  eyelid. 

The  two  to  whom  he  spoke  readily  agreed 
to  the  scheme,  and  two  other  names  were 
mentioned  as  men  desirable  to  complete  the 
party. 

"  We  will  all  meet  at  the  club  in  the  salon, 
one  week  from  to-night.  We  will  meet  there 
as  if  by  accident,  and  I  will  bring  my  friend. 
We  will  become  acquainted  and  chat  and 
smoke  awhile,  and  a  suggestion  as  to  a  little 
game  to  pass  the  time,  can  be  made.  I  will 
have  one  of  the  private  card-rooms  of  the 
club  all  in  readiness,  and  we  can  adjourn  to 
it  without  notoriety." 

*'  That  scheme  ought  to  work,  sure,"  re- 
marked one  of  the  listeners. 

"  You  bet  it  will,"  said  the  other,  and  they 
separated. 

It  was  many  hours  after  daylight  before  the 
poker  party  had  all  gone.  The  winners  left 
at  various  periods  in  the  game,  and  the  losers 
remained  to  combat  each  other  in  a  desperate 
endeavor    to   reduce     their    several     losses. 


THE   GAMBLER.  1 59 

Three  men  outstayed  the  others,  and  then 
one  of  these  was  soon  forced  to  leave  by  his 
business,  and  then  the  two  alone  remained. 
It  was  nearly  noon  when  with  feverish  pulses 
and  throbbing  veins,  the  two  left  the  tobacco 
and  whisky-poisoned  atmosphere,  and  crawled 
away. 


l6o  THE   GAMBLER. 


V. 

THEY   GO   A-FISHING. 

Paul  Calkins  was  promptly  at  the  club  on 
the  evening  when  his  arrival  was  expected  by 
Lafarge.  He  had  decided  to  give  one  even- 
ing each  week  to  the  Hawks,  and  determined 
to  be  at  home  as  early  as  eleven  o'clock. 

On  this  second  visit  he  found  Lafarge  in 
the  main  salon,  in  conversation  with  a  gentle- 
man— the  latter  a  rather  fine-looking  person, 
and  well-dressed.  Lafarge  beckoned  Paul  to 
join  them,  which  he  did,  and  was  introduced 
to  the  stranger,  Mr.  Evans,  a  "  Board-of-Trade 
man,  "a  member  of  the  club,"  Lafarge  ad- 
ded, "and  a  particular  friend  of  mine  whom 
I'd  like  you  to  know." 

En  passant,  it  is  odd  as  to  the  importance 
and  extended  utility  of  "  Boai'd-of-Trade 
men "  in  the  make-up  of  games  of  poker. 
The  stranger,  or  neophyte,  who  is  invited  to 
join  a  game,  when  he  inquires  as  to  who  com- 


THE   GAMBLER.  l6l 

pose  it,  is  always  informed  that  it  is  made  up 
of  "  Board-of-Trade  men.''  It  seems  to  be 
the  impression  that  this  designation  is  a  guar- 
antee of  respectabihty,  of  perfect  integrity, 
and  especially  of  entire  fairness  in  card- 
playing. 

The  exact  value  of  this  class  of  recommend- 
ation is  not  "  listed  "  in  any  of  the  authorized 
quotations  of  moral  values,  and  hence,  it  is 
impossible  to  stale  just  what  it  is  really  worth 
in  the  markets. 

The  trio  chatted  for  a  little  while  on  club 
matters  and  affairs  in  general,  when  they  were 
joined  by  the  other  young  man  to  whom  La- 
farge  had  spoken  at  the  close  of  the  last  week's 
poker-seance. 

"  Draw  up  a  chair,  and  join  us,"  said  La- 
farge  as  he  shook  hands  with  the  new-comer. 
"  Mr.  Easton,  you  should  know  my  friends. 
This  is  Mr.  Calkins,  and  this  is  Mr.  Evans.'' 

As  is  the  case  always,  each  gentleman  was 
very  pleased  to  meet  the  other  gentlemen, 
and  shook  hands  with  as  much  fervor  as  if 
they  were  really  delighted  to  make  each 
other's  acquaintance.  Messrs.  Easton  and 
Evans,  the  same  two  with  whom  Lafarge  had 
concerted  the  meeting,  were  more  than  de- 
II 


l62  THE   GAMBLER. 

lighted  to  become  acquainted.  Each  re- 
marked that  he  had  often  heard  of  the'other, 
and  had  often  wished  to  have  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  him.  Each  winked  at  his  vis  a  vis, 
as  he  said  this,  and  appeared  to  tnink  it  a 
great  joke. 

Some  refreshments  were  ordered,  cigars 
were  lighted,  and  conversation  flowed 
smoothly  on.  After  a  little,  Lafarge  took 
advantage  of  a  break  in  the  talk  to  say  to 
Easton  : 

"  Do  you  ever  amuse  yourself  in  any  game 
of  cards?" 

"  Very  rarely.  I  sometimes  play  a  little 
whist,  and  now  and  then  a  game  of  cribbage." 

"  Don't  you  ever  indulge  in  draw  ?" 

"  Well,  yes,  I  have  once  or  twice,  but  1 
don't  know  anything  about  the  game." 

"  How  is  it  with  you,  Evans  ?  Do  you  play 
anything  ?" 

"  Oh,  now  and  then  euchre  or  some  mild 
thing  of  the  kind." 

"  As  to  you  Paul,"  said  Lafarge,  "  I  know 
what  you  can  do,  as  you  were  one  of  my 
pupils.  What  do  you  say,  gentlemen  ?  Shall 
we  go  up  stairs  and  have  a  game  of  something 
to  kill  time  ?" 


THE   GAMBLER.  163 

No  one  objected.  Paul  said,  "Of  course." 
The  others  said,  "Anything  that  suits  the  rest, 
suits  us." 

On  the  upper  floor,  in  the  biUiard-room, 
Lafarge  shook  hands  very  cordially  with  a 
man  who  was  watching  a  game  of  pool. 

"  Come  along,"  said  Lafarge,  "we  are  go- 
ing to  have  a  bottle  of  beer." 

The  stranger  consented,  and  the  party  then 
proceeded  to  one  of  the  small  rooms  off  the 
hall,  and  which  could  be  used  for  serving  re- 
freshments, card-parties,  or  private  inter- 
views. 

"  What'll  the  game  be?"   asked  Mr.  Evans. 

"  Whist !" 

"  Cribbage !" 

"  Draw-poker  !" 

"  Don't  care  !'' 

These  were  the  answers.  Lafarge  had  sug- 
gested whist,  but  the  man  who  had  joined 
them  in  the  billiard-room  insisted  on  "draw," 
as  he  termed  it. 

Such  was  finally  the  decision  of  the  others, 
and  thereupon  the  table  was  arranged,  cards 
and  chips  produced  by  an  attendant,  and  the 
players  seated  themselves. 

"  I  can't  stay  long,"  said  Mr.  Easton. 


164  THE   GAMBLER. 

"  Nor  I !"  came  from  two  or  three  others. 

This  is  the  regular  formula  which  precedes 
a  game  of  poker.  The  person  who  utters  it 
really  means  that  he  purposes  to  leave  the 
game  whenever  he  is  the  winner.  He  does 
not  say  so,  but  that  is  what  is  intended.  If 
he  should  be  a  winner,  and  should  start  to 
leave,  and  any  one  should  plead  with  him  to 
stay,  his  answer  would  be,  "  I  told  you  when 
1  sat  down  that  I  couldn't  stay  long.  I  have 
an  engagement  and  must  go.'' 

The  play  began,  and  proceeded  without 
interruption.  All  were  well-behaved  gentle- 
men, who  took  with  coolness  their  losses 
and  gains.  Lafarge  had  well  selected  the 
players.  They  were  of  the  kind  that  would 
not  offend  the  ear  with  blasphemies  and 
ribald  conversation. 

Paul  entered  into  the  game  with  interest. 
The  room  was  comfortable  and  quiet,  the 
players  were  gentlemen,  and  fortune  seemed 
to  favor  him  from  the  start.  He  won  small 
amounts,  was  cautious,  and  in  time  was  a 
substantial  winner. 

Time  passed  noiselessly  and  without  fric- 
tion. One  of  the  players  glanced  at  his 
watch. 


THE   GAMBLER.  165 

"What's  the  hour?"  indifferently  queried 
another. 

"  Half-past  eleven  !" 

"  Half-past  eleven !"  repeated  Paul.  "Great 
heavens!  I  was  due  at  home  at  eleven !  1 
must  go  !" 

"  It's  a  good  time  to  go!"  said  Mr.  Evans, 
with  a  trace  of  irony  in  his  tone,  as  he  glanced 
significantlv  at  the  accumulations  of  chips  in 
front  of  Paul. 

The  latter  felt  the  jeer  of  the  other  as  if  the 
thrust  of  a  dart.  He  hesitated  a  moment,  and 
then  said  : 

"  ril  play  half  an  hour  longer,  and  then  I 
must  go." 

Luck  turned  against  him  and  he  lost,  al- 
though not  much.  Absorbed  in  his  efforts 
to  stem  the  tide  of  ill  luck,  he  forgot  the  pass- 
age of  time.  Suddenly  the  matter  occurred 
to  him,  and  with  a  start  he  pulled  out  his 
watch.     It  was  after  one  o'clock  ! 

He  at  once  settled  his  game,  bade  the 
players  good-night,  and  left. 

"  Well,  what  do  you  think  of  your  new 
man  ?  "  asked  one  of  the  players  of  Lafarge. 

"  He's  panning  out  all  right.  You  don't 
expect  to  strike  pay-dirt  right  on  the  surface, 


l66  THE   GAMBLER. 

the  first  blow   you  make  with  your  pick,  do 
you  ?     Give  him  time." 

As  eleven  o'clock  approached  Eleanor  began 
to  expect  her  husband.  The  hour  came,  and 
as  an  occasional  footstep  sounded  on  the  side- 
walk she  thought,  "  That  is  he." 

Half-past  eleven  came  and  went,  and  then 
midnight,  and  still  no  husband.  She  had 
retired  to  her  sleeping  apartments  and  was 
alone.  The  delay  began  to  annoy  her.  What 
could  detain  him?  It  could  be  nothing  less 
than  accident.  A  subtle  apprehension  of 
approaching  evil  vibrated  through  her,  but 
took  no  tangible  form.  It  was  the  more  ter- 
rifying that  it  was  unformed  and  undistin- 
guishable.  He  had  been  attacked  by  footpads 
and  she  saw  his  prostrate  form,  bleeding  and 
helpless!  Her  memory  brought  up  cases  she 
had  read  in  the  newspapers  of  men  who  had 
been  waylaid  and  thrown  into  the  turbid 
river ;  and  of  mysterious  disappearances  of 
citizens  who  had  stepped  from  their  homes 
to  be  gone  an  hour  or  so  and  of  whom  no 
trace  had  ever  after  been  found. 

All  these  horrible  visions  came  into  her 
presence  in  the  still  night,  and  mocked  her 
with    their    threatenings.      Although    high- 


THE   GAMBLER.  167 

Spirited  and  possessed  of  extraordinary  inde- 
pendence, as  must  be  known  by  those  who 
have  read  her  history,  she  was,  nevertheless, 
acutely  sensitive.  She  shivered  with  pain 
at  the  slightest  blow. 

Thus  sensitive,  and  with  a  powerful  imag- 
ination, she  conjured  up  phantoms  as  she  sat 
there,  whose  jibings  drove  her  almost  insane. 
Wounded,  dead,  dying,  mutilated,  floating 
beneath  the  black  waters  of  the  river,  she  saw 
constantly  her  husband. 

Her  head  pained  her,  and  she  unbound  her 
hair  to  secure  relief.  Her  eyes  were  wetted 
with  tears  like  a  violet  with  dew-drops.  Her 
baby-mouth  was  contracted  with  suffering, 
and    the  lips  were  pinched  across  her  teeth. 

And  thus,  with  her  long,  purple-black  hair 
falling  down  her  back  and  breast,  she  looked 
like  an  infant  Niobe  wrapped  in  a  cloak  of 
mourning. 

It  was  this  picture  that  greeted  Paul  when, 
with  fleet  footsteps,  he  flew  up  the  stairway 
and  opened  the  door  of  her  room.  She  had 
shrunk  in  the  corner  of  a  large  easy-chair,  and 
lay  there  cold,  shivering  and  helpless. 

Paul  I'aised  her  tenderly  in  his  strong  arms 
and  held  her  sobbing  form  to  his  breast. 


l68  THE   GAMBLER. 

"Oh,  darling,  you  are  not  dead?"  was  all 
that  she  could  utter  with  her  broken  voice. 

"  No,  no !  I'm  safe  and  you  are  in  my  arms." 

He  lifted  her  from  the  chair,  seated  himself 
with  her  across  his  lap,  and  placed  her  head 
tenderly  on  his  shoulder.  The  blue  eyes 
opened  to  their  full  extent,  glanced  appre- 
hensively into  his;  then  their  expression 
changed  to  one  of  joy  and  trustfulness,  and 
the  lids  with  their  long  lashes  settled  slowly 
down  on  her  cheeks.  She  "  cuddled  "  closer 
to  him,  threw  one  arm  across  his  breast  and 
fell  asleep. 

For  hours  Paul  held  her  in  his  arms  fearing 
to  move  lest  he  should  disturb  her  slumbers. 
At  first  heavy  shudders  ran  through  her 
frame,  and  a  deep  sob  here  and  there  inter- 
rupted her  breathing.  It  was  the  swell  after 
the  tempest.  In  a  little  time,  with  long-drawn, 
even  breath,  with  her  white  face  as  placid  as 
marble,  she  lay  like  a  sleeping  infant  on  its 
mother's  breast. 

The  sun  glanced  into  the  room  in  the  morn- 
ing and  saw  Paul  carefully  bear  his  burden 
to  the  bed  where  he  placed  it,  wrapping  it 
about  with  a  shawl,  and  then  stretch  himself 
beside  it  without  disrobing. 


THE   GAMBLER.  169 


VI. 

TEMPTER   AND    PRIESTESS. 

A  couple  of  days  after  Paul's  evening  in 
the  gambling-room  of  the  Hawks,  Lafarge, 
at  the  usual  after-midnight  hour,  visited 
Natalie. 

She  was  found  in  her  room  sitting  in  a 
large  arm-chair,  with  a  placid  expression  on 
her  face— that  is,  placid  in  comparison  with 
its  usual  stormy  character.  She  glanced  at 
Lafarge  and  said,  after  a  close  examination  of 
his  face : 

"  You  look  happier,  my  son.  Has  fortune 
favored  you  ?'' 

"  Yes,  maumee,"  a  familiar  address  which 
he  applied  to  her  in  his  good-natured  mo- 
ments; "yes,  luck  has  favored  me  to  some 
extent,  and  the  future  is  full  of  promise." 

"  It  was  the  blood  that  has  done  it.  I  knew 
that  this  was  all  that  was  needed.  Do  you 
see?" 


I70  THE   GAMBLER. 

Lafarge  admitted  that  the  connection  be- 
tween his  good  fortune  and  her  sacrifice  was 
a  palpable  one. 

"  Tell  me,"  said  he  after  her  excitement 
over  the  announcement  of  his  bettering  for- 
tune had  subsided,  "  why  do  you  use  sacri- 
fices in  your  worship?" 

"  Because  it  was  done  by  my  father,  who 
was  a  priest  of  Fetich,  and  by  his  father,  and 
so  on  by  all  the  long  line  of  priests  and  priest- 
esses back  a  thousand  or  ten  thousand  years 
in  Africa.  Then  the  Fetich  demanded  human 
offerings,  and  bodies  were  cheap  and  sacrifices 
plenty.  Then  was  Fetich  powerful,  and 
mighty  monarchs  knelt  at  his  feet. 

"  My  father's  great  grandfather  was  a  Fetich 
priest  and  was  stolen  and  brought  here  as  a 
slave.  In  secret  he  kept  up  the  worship  of 
our  deity.  In  the  deep  swamps  was  his  altar, 
and  now  and  then  a  wandering  piccaninnj^ 
was  caught  and  offered  for  sacrifice.  The 
freedom  of  the  poor  slaves  was  a  cause  for 
which  my  father  labored  in  secrecy,  and  in 
the  hours  of  darkness.  Many  is  the  wench 
who  gave  her  life  to  aid  in  supplicating  Fetich 
for  the  deliverance  of  our  enslaved  people." 

"  Is  the  skull  of  your  father  a  real  Fetich  ?" 


THE   GAMBLER.  I7I 

"Yes.  It  can  bring  us  good  and  bad  for- 
tune as  it  wills.  Its  wishes  must  be  respected. 
It  has  hunger,  and  must  be  fed ;  it  has  thirst, 
and  must  be  satisfied." 

Much  more  did  this  savage  old  woman 
communicate  to  him  in  regard  to  the  mys- 
teries of  Fetichism.  So  earnest  was  she,  so 
impressive  in  her  gigantic  stature,  and  so  em- 
phatic in  glance  and  gesture  that  the  super- 
stitious nature  of  the  gambler-element  in  her 
listener  was  awakened  to  an  extent  that  almost 
led  him  to  become  a  firm  believer  in  the  po- 
tency of  Fetich. 

He  learned  that  her  mother  was  a  quadroon 
of  French  parentage  on  her  father's  side, 
which  fact  would  account  for  the  peculiarity 
of  her  hair,  and  the  absence  in  her  features 
of  marked  African  characteristics. 

"  Give  me  the  Red  Sacrifice,"  she  said  as 
Lafarge  was  leaving,  "  and  you  shall  have  all 
ihat  your  heart  can  desire." 

"  I  think,"  he  said  with  an  expression  on 
his  face  of  gloomy  introspection,  "that  I  can 
foresee  a  time  when  I  shall  be  able  to  gratify 
all  your  wishes." 

The  Ogress,  as  soon  as  the  door  was  closed 
on  her  visitor,  put  the  black  cloth  over  the 


1/2  THE   GAMBLER. 

bureau,  dropped  the  curtains,  brought  out 
the  skull,  and  laid  it  in  place  on  the  impro- 
vised altar.  Then  into  a  saucer  she  poured  a 
powdered  substance  to  which  she  touched  a 
piece  of  burning  paper.  The  powder  burned 
slowl}^  and  gave  out  little  clouds  of  vapor 
that  filled  the  room  with  an  aromatic,  pungent 
odor.  She  passed  the  smoke  again  and  again 
beneath  the  nostrils  of  the  skull ;  and  then  in 
an  impassioned  voice,  said  : 

"  Good  father,  thou  hast  heard  thy  daugh- 
ter, the  princess!  Thou  hast  listened  to  her 
cry  for  help!  Thou  art  good,  oh,  mv  father! 
Thou  shalt  have  food  and  drink  in  plenty! 
My  nostrils  inhale  the  odors  of  gurgHng  blood, 
and  my  ears  hear  the  cry  of  the  victim ! 
Thou  art  good,  and  1,  thy  daughter,  the 
priestess  of  Fetich,  love  thee  !" 

And  then  changing  her  language  to  French, 
she  chanted  in  a  low,  hoarse  tone : 

'■  By  the  blood,  by  the  censer — arise! 

"  I  have  given  thee  cymbal  and  song, 
Much  praising  with  censer  and  knee  ; 

Such  scent  of  sweet  blood  for  so  long, 
Shall  no  reward  follow  from  thee? 

"Wilt  thou  list  to  the  drone  of  my  hymn 
And  glaze  thy  dull  eyes  to  a  stare? 


THE   GAMBLER.  1/3 

Wilt  thou  bring  me  dark  days  for  a  whim. 
And  send  as  a  handmaid,  despair?" 

She  bowed  her  head  on  her  folded  arms  as 
they  rested  on  the  altar  close  to  the  skull  and 
seemed  to  sleep.  Daylight  penetrated  dimly 
into  the  room,  irivinof  the  black  woman  the 
appearance  of  some  gigantic  creature  of 
darkness. 

The  extraordinary  exhibition  of  sensitive- 
ness by  Eleanor  on  the  night  of  his  absence 
from  home,  very  much  surprised  as  well  as 
annoyed  Paul,  who  had  estimated  her  to  be  a 
woman  whose  singular  independence  would 
sustain  her  under  any  circumstances,  however 
distressing  or  unfavorable.  The  fact  that  she 
had  left  her  comfortable  home,  had  engaged 
in  the  labor  of  supporting  herself,  and  mar- 
ried- him  against  the  decision  of  all  her  rela- 
tives, had  led  him  to  think  her  a  woman  who 
would  yield  to  no  adverse  conditions.  Mean- 
while, however,  he  took  much  blame  on  him- 
self, and  made  a  solemn  vow  that  nothing  of 
the  kind  should  ever  occur  again. 

Women  are  a  fragile,  complex,  delicate 
piece  of  mechanism.  It  is  most  difihcult  to  con- 
struct general  rules,  or  to  establish  deductions 


1/4  THE   GAMBLER. 

that  will  apply  to  all,  or  even  a  considerable 
number  of  them. 

A  man  is  machine-made.  He  is  like  a  mod- 
ern watch,  any  one  piece  of  which  will  fit 
any  other  time-keeper  from  the  same  manu- 
factory. The  woman  is  hand-made,  so  to 
speak  ;  each  part  of  her  has  reference  only  to 
her  own  mechanism,  and  will  not  fill  the  same 
place  in  any  other  feminine  machine. 

The  machine-made  watch  may  be  dropped, 
jarred,  shaken  up  and  not  injured  ;  the  reverse 
is  the  case  with  the  more  delicate  works  in 
the  other.  The  slightest  blow  will  often  seri- 
ously derange  its  mechanism,  and  produce 
disastrous  results.  Whatever  ma}'  be  the 
apparent  dominant  quality  of  a  woman,  it  is 
subject  to  constant  variation  from  the  action 
of  subordinate  causes,  and  which  are  mainly 
emotional  in  their  nature,  and  originate  in 
her  sex. 

She  has  periods  of  exaltation  and  depres- 
sion concerning  which  men,  by  their  own  ex- 
perience, know  nothing.  There  are  occasions 
when  she  weeps  without  apparent  reason ; 
when  she  suffers  agonies  from  intangible 
causes,  and  which,  she  herself  does  not 
always    comprehend.      Often     men     witness 


THE  GAMBLER.  1 75 

these  developments  with  brutal  indifference, 
not  unmingled  with  contempt.  .  They  fancy 
that  these  alternations,  these  extremes  of  en- 
joyment and  suffering,  these  frequent  depres- 
sions are  the  results  of  the  imagination,  of 
whims,  of  unstable  character.  And  thus  it  is 
rarely  the  case  that  the  unhappiness  of  a 
woman  is  appreciated  by  the  other  sex. 

Prominent  among  the  causes  which  influ- 
ence women,  and  mingle  grave  perturbations 
in  their  lives  are  those  mysterious  agencies 
connected  with  prospective  maternity.  It  is 
during  this  period  that  the  woman  often  be- 
comes fitful,  exacting,  incomprehensible.  It 
is  then  that,  more  than  during  any  other 
period  of  her  life,  hysteria,  with  its  complica- 
tions, its  obscurities,  takes  possession  of  her. 

Tears,  exaggerated  laughter,  frantic  sob- 
bings, derangement  of  the  emotional  func- 
tions, all  these  assail  her  until  her  life,  at 
times,  becomes  an  intolerable  burden. 

Yet  when  the  hours  are  not  afflicted  with 
these  disturbances,  the  gestation  period  is  one 
of  supreme  enjoyment. 

All  the  beautiful  possibilities  of  a  future 
are  unrolled  before  her.  Her  dreams  of  what 
may  be,  fill  her  with   lofty  exaltation.     She 


1/6  THE   GAMBLER. 

contemplates  the  approaching  ordeal  with  a 
mingled  feeling  of  joy,  apprehension  and  sor- 
row. She  must  suffer  ;  she  may  lose  her  life 
in  the  struggle,  and  yet  so  powerful  and 
peculiar  are  the  maternal  instincts  that  she  is 
willing  to  encounter  any  danger  for  the  life 
of  her  unborn  babe. 

Three  months  after  the  night  scene  re- 
corded, Eleanor  lay  on  her  couch,  white  as 
the  snow,  with  feeble  breath,  with  her  blue 
eyes  filled  with  an  expression  of  divine  ten- 
derness, and  by  her  side,  next  to  her  heart,  a 
tiny  babe. 

It  was  a  violet  bud  which  had  drifted 
ashore  from  the  unknown  sea  which  encom- 
passes life. 

Long  ere  this  event  had  Paul  found  the 
solution  of  the  mystery  connected  with  the 
condition  of  his  wife,  on  the  night  of  his  re- 
turn from  his  first  visit  to  the  gambling-rooms 
of  the  Hawk  club. 


THE   GAMBLER.  1 7/ 


VI. 

THE  FISH  TAKES  THE   HOOK. 

Haunted  incessantly  by  the  vision  of  the 
tearful  and  appealing  face  which  he  met  on 
his  return,  at  so  late  an  hour  from  the  Hawk 
club,  Paul  determined  never  again  to  visit  it. 
As  time  passed  his  regret  somewhat  subsided 
as  he  discovered  the  real  cause  underlying 
the  hysterical  condition  of  his  wife. 

Nevertheless,  he  did  not  go  to  the  club, 
his  time  being  taken  up  in  devoted  attention 
to  her  during  the  period  of  her  maternal 
crisis. 

A  couple  of  months  or  so  after  he  found 
himself  the  father  of  a  girl-baby,  he  received 
a  call  from  Lafarge.  That  gentleman  had 
been  absent  on  a  long  trip  and  had  not  seen 
Paul  since  meeting  him  on  the  last  visit  of  the 
latter  to  the  Hawk  club. 

"  How  is  it,"  asked  Lafarge,  after  the  con- 
versation   had    drifted    for    a    time   on   the 

12 


178  THE   GAMBLER. 

weather,  health,  and  other  commonplaces, 
"that  you  no  longer  go  to  the  club?  " 

Paul  gave  as  an  excuse  the  condition  of  his 
family  affairs  and  the  absolute  necessity  of  his 
spending  all  his  spare  time  at  home.  Lafarge, 
with  a  genial  smile  and  a  cordial  shake  of  the 
hand,  congratulated  him  on  the  accession  to 
his  family. 

"  Well,  now  that  a  baby  is  born,  and  mother 
and  child  are  doing  well,  I  suppose  you  will 
honor  the  Hawks  with  your  occasional 
presence? " 

"  I  am  not  altogether  certain  that  I  shall 
continue  my  membership.  1  am  now  the 
father  of  a  family,  you  know,  and  ought  prob- 
ably to  give  my  entire  spare  time  to  domestic 
matters." 

"  Nonsense  !  Are  you  going,  at  your  age, 
with  all  your  qualities  at  their  very  prime  to 
settle  down  as  a  domestic  drudge,  and  coddle 
the  baby,  feed  it  its  pap,  and  clean  its  nose  ? 
Why,  man,  you  have  seen  nothing  of  life ! 
You  are  like  an  Aladdin  who  penetrates  as  far 
as  the  door  of  the  enchanted  cave,  who  sees  all 
the  treasures  spread  out  before  him,  and  then 
deliberately  turns  around,  abandons  every- 
thing, and  goes  home  to  continue  to  be  the 
slave  of  his  mother." 


THE   GAMBLER.  1 79 

Paul  was  somewhat  abashed  at  this  out- 
burst, and  stammered  : 

"Aladdin  might  have  done  worse  than 
waiting  on  the  old  woman — " 

''But  that  is  not  all  there  is  of  this  matter. 
Your  honor  is  more  or  less  involved  in  it. 
You  remember  that  the  night  you  played  at 
the  club,  you  took  away  some  of  the  '  stuff ' 
belonging  to  the  other  gentlemen  and  myself. 
Now,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  it  does  not 
make  an}-  difference.  We  are  old-time  ac- 
quaintances and  1  understand  just  how  you 
are  situated.  But  it  is  different  with  Easton 
and  Evans.  They  have  asked  me  several 
times  as  to  what  had  become  of  that  slick- 
looking  stranger  whom  I  introduced  to  them, 
and  inquired  with  some  sarcasm,  if  they  are 
never  to  have  an  opportunity  to  get  their 
money  back?  " 

This  was  an  entirely  new  view  of  the  situa- 
tion to  Paul. 

"Ah,  yes,  I  see!  That  puts  a  different 
phase  on  the  matter.  Of  course  it  doesn't 
look  just  right  for  me  to  go  in  there,  make  a 
winning,  and  then  not  show  up  to  give  them 
opportunity  for  revenge.  If  you  can  get  them 
together,  I  shall  be  happy  to  have  a  return 
game  any  evening  " 


l8o  THE   GAMBLER. 

"  That's  right,  old  fellow  !  I  knew  it  you 
once  understood  the  situation  you  would  do 
the  right  thing.     So  long  !     I  must  go." 

When  he  reached  the  street,  he  muttered, 
"A  baby?  So  much  the  better!  The  more 
the  merrier !  " 

In  reality  Paul  was  in  his  inner  soul  pleased 
that  there  had  been  offered  an  excuse  to 
repeat  his  visit  to  the  club.  The  wonderful 
fascination  of  gambling  had  already  made 
itself  felt  in  his  disposition.  He  was  not 
wholly  possessed  by  it,  for  it  rarely  seizes  its 
victims  at  once.  It  is  slow  and  insidious  in 
its  approach.  It  commences  its  work  as 
lightly  and  delicately  as  the  fiend,  habitual 
drunkenness.  In  the  case  of  the  latter,  unless 
the  result  of  congenital  taint,  the  advance  of 
the  novice  from  an  occasional  sip  of  the 
exhilarating  bowl  to  the  fiery  draughts  of 
perpetual  inebriety,  is  generally  a  slow  one. 
Men  do  not  become  drunkards  nor  gamblers 
in  a  night. 

Ah,  no !  It  is  a  picnic  at  the  starting  of  the 
procession  ;  it  is  a  long  time  before  the  pil- 
grims reach  the  hell  to  which  they  were 
surely  destined  from  the  very  start. 

When  he   went  home  that  evening,   and  in 


THE   GAMBLER.  l8l 

connection  with  his  wife,  had  held  a  love-feast 
over  the  baby,  and  had  admired  its  puny  fist?, 
its  minute  feet,  its  mite  of  a  nose,  and  its 
chubby  little  checks,  Paul  related  to  his  wife 
the  substance  of  the  conversation  he  had  that 
afternoon  with  Lafarge. 

"  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  drop  the 
Hawks  altogether,  for  I  am  happy  enough  at 
home,  and  especially  so  since  this  speck  of  a 
woman,"  here  he  looked  fondly  at  the  bit  of 
humanity  in  the  arms  of  his  wife,  "  has  come 
to  stay.  But  it  seems  to  me  that  there  is 
something  in  what  Lafarge  says,  and  that  I 
am  due  to  give  those  gentlemen  a  chance  to 
win  their  money  back." 

"  I  think  you  are  right,  and  I  wish  you 
would  go.  Baby  and  I  can  get  along  for  a 
night  in  a  week  very  well,  can't  we,  missie?" 
she  said,  as  she  gazed  passionately  into  the 
face  of  the  infant. 

There  was  a  faint  "goo"  from  baby's  lips, 
which  might,  bv  a  fond  and  partial  parent,  be 
regarded  as  an  affiimative  answer. 

Eleanor  had  none  of  that  congenital  horror 
of  cards  which  possesses  so  many  women. 
She  had  not  been  taught  as  a  child  that  they 
were  harmful.     In  addition  to  this,  her  nature 


1 82  THE   GAMBLER. 

was  pure  and  unsuspicious.  She  saw  no  evil 
in  gentlemen  playing  cards  for  money.  She 
did  not  fear  that  her  husband  might  be  con- 
taminated by  evil  associations,  for  the  reason 
that  she  did  not  know  of  their  existence. 
The  wounds,  the  cicatrices  on  the  social  body 
she  knew  nothing  of,  as  her  attention  had 
never  been  called  to  them.  To  be  sure,  she 
had  heard  of  fast  women  and  men,  and  of 
many  others  of  the  sinful  people  and  things, 
but  they  impressed  her  very  much  as  do  the 
visions  one  has  of  the  figures,  habits  and  lives 
of  the  inhabitants  of  other  planets — dim,  un- 
definable  and  remote. 

Thus  informed  and  educated,  she  found 
nothing  against  which  to  object  in  Paul's  con- 
clusion that  he  would  resume  his  visits  to  the 
club  for  the  purpose,  in  part,  of  giving  the  play- 
ers their  revenge.  In  truth,  she  regarded  it 
as  only  a  fair  and  manly  decision. 

With  her  full  consent  he  resumed  his  visits 
to  the  Hawk  club.  The  grade  on  which  they 
had  married,  that  of  friendship,  still  carried 
them  smoothly  along  its  lofty  level.  She  be- 
lieved in  him  without  any  questioning,  as 
freely  as  the  soil  drinks  the  dew.  That  he 
wished  to  take  any  course  of  action  was  an 
ample  reason  to  her  why  he  should  take  it. 


THE   GAMBLER.  183 

One  night  in  each  week  found  him  in  the 
private  room  which  he  had  first  visited,  and 
always  engaged  in  playing.  Almost  always 
Lafarge  was  one  of  the  players;  sometimes 
there  was  a  change  in  the  personnel  of  the 
game,  and  the  places  of  Easton  and  Evans 
were  filled  by  recruits.  These  changes  were 
always  managed  by  Lafarge.  He  selected 
the  men  who  were  to  fill  the  vacant  spaces. 

All  the  men  whom  he  thus  furnished  were 
gentlemen  in  appearance  and  demeanor. 
They  never  exhibited  anger  over  their  losses, 
nor  undue  exultation  over  their  winnings. 
So  far  as  appearances  were  concerned,  it 
seemed  a  "  gentlemen's  game." 

The  results  of  the  play  fluctuated.  Some 
nights  one  or  two  of  the  players  would  win, 
and  now  and  then  one  man  alone  would  be 
the  victim.  For  a  few  weeks  Paul  was  fairly 
fortunate,  and  he  usually  left  the  table  with 
more  money  than  when  he  sat  down.  He 
had  established  an  understanding  with  the 
party  that  he  should  be  excused  from  the 
game  at  an  hour  which  permitted  his  reach- 
ing home  before  midnight. 

His  attachment  for  the  game  had  grown 
during  this  period,  and  being  a  regular  win- 


1 84  THE   GAMBLER. 

ner,  it  seemed  a  profitable  as  well  as  a  most 
enjoyable  diversion. 

One  evening  he  won  considerably  at  the 
outset,  and  he  felicitated  himself  on  the  pros- 
pect of  securing  a  substantial  addition  to  his 
gains.  Then  the  luck  suddenly  changed. 
Strong  hands  which  hitherto  had  been  victo- 
rious, were  now  beaten.  Irritated  at  this 
turn  in  his  luck,  he  endeavored  to  recoup  by 
larger  bets.  The  more  vigorously  he  pur- 
sued this  policy,  the  heavier  his  losses.  Soon 
all  his  winnings  in  the  early  part  of  the  game 
were  lost,  and  then  followed  a  demorahzing 
rout.  He  lost  and  lost  till  the  hour  came  for 
his  drawing  out,  when  he  found  he  was  a 
thousand  dollars  loser. 

Of  course  he  had  not  that  amount  with 
him,  but  his  checks  were  good.  One  of  the 
players  happened  very  singularly  and  oppor- 
tunely to  have  checks  issued  by  the  bank 
with  which  Paul  did  business,  and  these  were 
promptly  produced  when  the  hour  for  settle- 
ment came. 

"  That's  very  odd,"  remarked  the  owner  of 
the  checks,  when  he  found  that  Paul  and 
himself  were  depositing  in  the  same  bank. 
"Do  you    know  old    Sanks,   the   president? 


THE   GAMBLER.  185 

I've  known  him  ever  since  he  opened  the 
Thirtieth  National,  and  he  has  always  carried 
my  pile  since  he  began  banking.  An  accom- 
modating old  chap,  too ;  he'll  discount  my 
personal  note  without  any  collateral,  for  five 
or  ten  thousand." 

The  gentleman  who  thus  vaunted  his  fa- 
miliarity with  the  president  of  the  bank,  and 
his  ability  to  secure  unlimited  discounts,  was 
a  salesman  in  a  shirt-store,  on  a  salary  of 
twelve  dollars  a  week. 

Paul  went  home  that  night  with  a  half-pain 
in  his  heart.  He  had  been  elated  by  his  suc- 
cess, and  he  hated  to  lose.  All  that  night 
thoughts  and  dreams  of  the  game  haunted 
him.  He  recalled  situations  in  which  he  held 
the  best  cards  at  the  beginning  of  a  deal,  when 
a  card  filling  his  hand  would  have  made  him 
invincible,  and  which  he  failed  to  get,  while 
some  player  with  substantially  nothing  to  be- 
gin with,  had  "  come  in,''  bettered  and  won. 
Why  could  not  fate  have  given  him  the 
needed  card  at  that  critical  moment? 

In  his  sleep,  he  cut,  shufHed  and  dealt  ;  he 
tried  to  fill  impossible  flushes,  and  to  better 
two-pairs,  and  was  always  baflfled.  He  found 
the  next  morning  after  his  first  losing,  the 
most  unsatisfactory  of  his  life. 


l86  THE   GAMBLER. 

As  the  sun  came  up  and  the  prattle  of  the 
infant  was  heard,  he  shook  off  his  despond- 
ency, and  with  something  of  a  revengeful 
spirit  animating  him  against  the  men  who 
had  beaten  him,  he  cheered  himself  with  the 
thought  that  at  the  next  session  he  would 
recover  his  losses,  and  punish  the  people 
who  had  won  his  mone}'. 

However  "  gentlemanly"  the  game,  a  loser, 
at  least  at  the  time  of  playing,  is  very  apt  to 
entertain  a  personal  dislike  for  the  man  who 
has  been  the  main  winner  of  his  money. 


THE   GAMBLER.  18/ 


VII. 

HAWKS  AND  DOVES. 

Paul  continued  the  game  with  varying  for- 
tune. Now  he  made  a  small  winning,  but  as 
a  rule  he  lost.  He  began  to  be  irritable  and 
suspicious  ;  he  saw  no  reason  why  he  should 
be  a  constant  loser. 

"  Suppose  you  try  the  other  game,"  said 
Lafarge,  to  whom  he  communicated  his  dis- 
content. "  It  is  a  larger  game  as  to  the  num- 
ber of  players,  and  new  men  are  coming  in 
all  the  time.     It  might  change  your  luck.'' 

Paul  availed  himself  of  the  suggestion,  and 
was  supplied  with  a  pass-key  to  the  main  card- 
room. 

In  this  room,  at  some  hour  during  the 
twenty-four,  there  would  be  met  all  the 
toughest  elements  of  the  Hawks.  An  almost 
perpetual  orgy  prevailed  in  which  gambling 
and  intoxication  were  the  dominant  features, 
and  which  in  intensity,  and  often  in  indecency, 


l88  THE   GAMBLER. 

put  to  shame  the  frantic  revelries  before  the 
altars  of  Dionysus.  There  were  many  cul- 
tured gentlemen  among  the  members,  but 
they  rarely  penetrated  further  than  the  bil- 
Hard-roora  in  their  juurneyings  through  the 
club-rooms. 

The  fast  element  was  recruited  from  no 
particular  class.  It  was  composed  mostly  of 
young  men,  although  among  the  most  rapid 
of  the  lot,  bald  heads  and  gray  hairs  were  not 
without  representation.  All  professions  and 
occupations  had  sent  delegates  to  this  branch 
of  the  Hawk  club. 

They  gambled  heavily  and  drank  to  the 
dregs  the  deepest  of  bowls.  All  seemed  to 
have  plenty  of  money  which  they  flung  out 
with  unsparing  lavishness.  They  dined  at  a 
French  restaurant,  and  ate  the  costliest  of 
food  a.nd  drank  the  most  expensive  of  wines. 
Coupes  called  for  them  at  any  hours  of  the 
day  or  night,  on  the  touch  of  an  electric  sig- 
nal, and  well-trained  and  obsequious  servants 
stood  ready  at  the  club  to  attend  to  their 
lightest  wishes. 

Glorious  days  were  these  for  the  gilded 
youth  of  the  Hawk  club !  Each  night  was 
the  occasion  for  a  festival  to  Bacchus,  to  Cyp- 


THE   GAMBLER.  1 89 

lian  rites,  to  the  universal  genius  of  Dis- 
sipation. 

In  the  late  hours  of  night,  at  the  out-of-town 
road-houses,  the  passer-by  heard  the  clamor 
of  the  oppressed  piano  as  its  aged  voice  qua- 
vered to  the  airs  of  the  dance,  to  whose 
rhythmic  utterances  swiftly  revolved  Hawk- 
club  men,  and  in  their  arms  women  with 
painted  cheeks,  and  shameless  eyes. 

Home  along  the  outlying  boulevards,  as 
dawn  glanced  shyly  over  the  walls  of  the 
eastern  sky,  went  hacks,  at  a  funeral  pace, 
the  driver  nodding  on  his  perch,  and  within  a 
woman  with  disheveled  hair,  reclining  on  the 
shoulder  of  a  Hawk,  he  leaning  back  in  a 
corner,  and  both  of  them  drunk  and  asleep. 

Carriages  driving  furiously  at  midnight, 
would  head  for  certain  famous  and  infamous 
localities,  carrying  four  young  men,  each 
puffing  furiously  at  a  cigar,  and  who,  talking, 
singing,  yelling  all  at  once,  would  dismount 
in  front  of  a  house  emblazoned  with  the  scar- 
let insignia  of  the  woman  of  Babylon,  and  a 
moment  later,  would  inundate  an  apartment 
filled  with  women  such  as  served  in  the  tem- 
ple of  old   Paphos. 

In  a  vast  apartment,  gaudy  with  pictures. 


1 90  THE   GAMBLER. 

rugs  and  tapestry,  a  half-dozen  vestals,  swart 
as  night,  nude  as  Venus  rising  from  the  foam, 
capered  and  posed  lasciviously  for  the 
delectation  of  Hawks,  who  drank  from  bub- 
bling champagne  glasses,  and  with  hoarse 
laughter  watched  the  curious  spectacle. 

Jolly,  jolly  boys  were  they  !  The  fumes  of 
the  fruit  of  the  wine  penetrated  the  chambers 
of  their  brain,  and  thence,  carried  along  a 
thousand  nerve-routes,  touched  every  tissue 
till  they  were  stimulated,  drunken,  roaring  in 
every  molecule  of  their  bodies  from  scalp  to 
toe-nail. 

The  aroma  of  the  wine  titillated  their  nos- 
trils;  its  flavor  gratified  their  palate;  song 
and  the  laughter  pleased  their  ear;  and  their 
eyes  were  charmed  with  visions  of  crimson 
cheeks,  and  the  naked  busts  of  voluptuous 
lorettes. 

Thus  in  turn  were  all  the  senses  ministered 
to,  and  made  the  source  of  libidinous  enjoy- 
ment. Oh,  so  jolly  were  they  !  They  kept 
fast  horses  and  women,  and  blooded  dogs ; 
they  wagered  on  horse-races ;  they  "  played 
bank  ;"  they  invested  their  money  in  "  draw  " 
and  "  stud-poker,"  the  wheel  and  keno  ;  they 
became  drunk   and    visited  their  friends,  the 


THE   GAMBLER.  I9I 

filles  dejoies,  and  sobered  up  and  grew  drunk 
again ;  and  thus  alternated  their  efforts  at 
happiness  between  wine  and  women,  between 
the  gambling-den  and  the  meretricious  splen- 
dors of  the  temples  of  Aphrodite, 

What  poor  clerk,  slaving  sixteen  hours  a  day 
for  a  pittance  of  seven  dollars  a  week,  and 
with  this  amount  trying  to  support  a  sick 
wife  and  several  children,  does  not  envy  the 
life  of  these  roysterous,  boisterous  youths,  as 
they  carried  on  their  labors  of  decorating  the 
town  with  carmine? 

Lucky  dogs  were  they !  Each  of  them 
had  his  mistress  whom  he  supported,  or  who 
supported  him  according  as  luck  varied  in 
July  wheat,  the  turn  of  the  card  in  faro,  or 
the  filling  of  hands  in  poker. 

It  was  a  school  with  such  a  course  of 
instruction  that  Paul  Calkins  was  about  to 
enter.  Up  to  this  point  his  life  had  been  pure 
and  he  had  no  taint  save  the  slight  one  that 
had  been  planted  by  gambling.  What  would 
happen  to  him  when  he  joined  this  procession 
which  went  dancing,  staggering,  roaring 
Bacchanalian  choruses,  and  committing  all 
possible  lewdnesses,  hell-ward  at  a  rattling 
pace? 


192  THE  GAMBLER. 

It  was  a  whirlpool  in  and  about  which  the 
human  waves  ran  with  incredible  swiftness, 
and  irresistible  fury.  Would  he  be  caught  in 
its  howling  vortices,  and  drawn  under  and 
strangled  in  the  whirling  depths? 

He  is  approaching  a  crisis  in  whose  outcome 
much  is  involved.  He  has  a  beautiful  wife, 
a  lovely  babe,  a  good  business  position,  a 
reputable  social  standing,  a  substantial  fortune 
already  accumulated,  and  prospects  that 
promise  him  even  greater  wealth.  All  these 
are  now  on  one  end  of  the  balance  while  on  the 
other  is  the  new-born  desire  to  gamble. 
Which   of   these    will   outweigh   the   other? 

Time  will  show. 

As  for  Paul  himself,  he  never  dreamed  of 
the  imminency  of  danger.  He  left  his  wife 
at  home  smiling  and  happv,  with  the  infant 
sleeping  on  her  knees.  What  is  there  to  sug- 
gest a  catastrophe?  Nothing  whatever.  No 
man  in  Chicago  is  better  situated  than  he. 

He  entered  the  main  card-room  under  the 
escort  of  Lafarge,  who  introduced  him  to  the 
players.  A  seat  was  offered  him.  PuUmg 
out  a  roll  of  bills,  he  called  for  a  stack,  and 
the  play  went  on. 

The  die  was  cast.  The  crisis  of  his  life 
came  and  passed,  and  he  knew  it  not. 


THE   GAMBLER.  I93 

That  same  night  Lafarge  visited  Natalie. 

"  I  see  joy  in  your  face,  my  son,"  said  the 
Ogress  as  she  closely  scanned  his  countenance. 
"  The  Fetich  has  heard  my  prayer." 

"  Yes,  maumee,  you  are  right.  The  work 
goes  on  and  the  reward  will  soon  be  paid." 

The  great  eyes  of  Natalie  flamed  with 
excitement,  and  her  smile  drew  her  upper  lip 
far  above  her  protruding  teeth  till  they  shone 
like  the  white  fangs  in  the  mouth  of  a  snarling 
wolf. 

Lafarge  departed    without   asking  for  his 
usual  "  tip  "  as  to  lucky  days  and  numbers. 
Some   other  matter   seemed   to   possess   his 
thoughts. 
13 


194  THE   GAMBLER. 


VIII. 

THE   COMrOSTTE   OF   THE   GAMBLER. 

What  was  originally  a  diversion,  an  amuse- 
ment, to  Paul  Calkins,  fast  passed  through  va- 
rious stages  until  it  became  a  pnssion.  It 
took  hold  of  him  as  the  disease  of  opium- 
eating  fastens  itself  on  the  body,  soul,  brain, 
and  moral  and  spiritual  nature  of  its  victim. 

Hitherto  prompt  in  his  business  hours,  and 
in  attention  to  his  duties,  he  began,  little  by 
little,  to  neglect  them.  Now  and  then,  on 
some  excuse,  he  would  leave  his  labors,  and 
go  to  the  club  in  the  afternoon  in  order  to 
gratify  his  desire  to  play.  His  hours  of  leav- 
ing the  club  to  return  to  his  home  gradually 
grew  later. 

He  had  naturally  no  desire  for  stimulants, 
but  the  frightful  mental  depression  attendant 
on  long  sessions  at  the  gaming  table,  and  the 
chagrin  of  losses,  made  him  weak  and  nerv- 
ous, and  almost  forced   the  use   of  alcoholic 


THE   GAMBLER.  I95 

drinks  for  recuperation.  Tn  the  due  course 
of  events,  the  reaction  following  the  use  of 
stimulnnts  demanded  an  increase  of  their 
strength  and  quantity,  so  that  he  was  forced 
by  a  double  necessity  to  use,  and  constantly 
enlarge  the  amount  of  agents  to  keep  some- 
thing like  an  equilibrium  in  his  vital  and 
moral  forces.     . 

And  thus  it  happened  that  week  by  week 
the  habits  of  gambling  and  intemperance 
grew  on  him,  and,  devil-fish  like,  coiled  their 
slimy  tentaculce  about  him  till  escape  was 
impossible. 

Not  only  does  this  infernal  habit  of  gam- 
bling necessitate  the  use  of  stimulants,  but  it 
enwraps  its  victims  in  further  meshes.  It  is 
but  a  short  step  from  the  hell  of  the  gambler 
to  that  of  the  courtesan.  With  his  moral  na- 
ture deadened  by  the  benumbing  qualities  of 
gaming;  with  alcohol  rousing  his  viler  pas- 
sions, and  at  the  same  time  smothering  his 
moral  sense,  the  gambler  is  in  a  condition  to 
resort  to  any  excitement,  however  vicious  or 
degrading. 

The  gin-mill,  the  gambling-room  and  the 
bagnio  are  the  stakes  which  mark  out  the 
triangle  of  the  gamblers'  area,  and  in  which 
they  "  live,  move  and  have  their  being." 


196  THE   GAMBLER. 

Paul  "  went  with  the  boys,"  not  at  first  into 
the  domain  of  Cyprus,  but  in  the  Baccha- 
nalian processions  in  which  intoxication  was 
the  presiding  genius.  Frequently  the  taint 
of  liquor  was  on  his  breath  when  his  wife 
kissed  him  on  his  return  from  the  club  ;  and 
once  or  twice,  his  step  was  unsteady,  and  his 
utterance  thick  and  husky  ;  and  at  last,  one 
night,  he  climbed  the  stairway  to  his  sleep- 
ing-room so  intoxicated  that  he  fell  at  full 
length  and  helpless  on  the  ffoor. 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  his  descent 
was  unaccompanied  with  regret  or  reflec- 
tion. He  fully  appreciated  the  peril  that 
menaced  him,  and  the  degradation  which  en- 
thralled him.  He  fought  against  his  vicious 
environment  like  a  lion  caught  in  a  net.  A 
thousand  times,  when  his  losses  were  excep- 
tionally large,  did  he  solemnly  resolve  that 
that  night  should  be  the  very  last  one  that  he 
should  touch  a  card,  or  a  glass  of  stimulants. 

Again  and  again  did  the  degradation  of  his 
course  present  itself  to  him  in  flaming  colors, 
and  a  thousand  times  did  he  regard  himself 
with  horror,  and  determine  on  reformation. 
Scores  and  scores  of  times  would  he  leave  a 
game  blaspheming  over   his  infatuation,  and 


THE   GAMBLER.  I97 

solemnly  vowing  that  he  would  never  again 
visit  a  card-room  or  participate  in  the  accur- 
sed practice.  In  such  cases,  the  next  morn- 
ing brought  a  mitigation  of  his  self-abase- 
ment. The  sin  seemed  less  hateful ;  and  later 
in  the  day  he  was  again  in  his  seat,  conscience 
for  the  moment  stifled,  his  desire  for  gain 
whetted  to  its  keenest  edge,  and  his  nerves 
thrilling  with  the  swift  variations  of  the  play. 

The  real  game  of  poker  is  in  a  certain  sense 
a  mental  entity.  It  is  something  which  exists 
within  the  soul  of  the  player,  and  all  we  learn 
of  it  is  through  its  visible  manifestations. 
Primarily,  the  game  considered  from  this 
standpoint,  is  the  energizing  of  a  desire  for 
gain.  This  qualit\-  is  the  same  as  that  which 
inspires  commercial  operations,  the  painting 
of  pictures,  the  use  of  the  jimmy  by  the 
burglar,  and  the  grinding  of  a  hand-organ  by 
a  blind  beggar.  In  the  game  of  poker  the 
desire  for  gain  assumes  the  character  of  greed. 
It  is  a  voracious,  pitiless,  insatiable  appetite 
for  money.  It  is  a  special  development  of 
the  instinctive  desire  for  accumulation,  and 
in  this  direction,  it  loses  its  original  qualities 
and  becomes  malignant. 

One  can  judge  of  the  character  of  the  real, 


198  THE   GAMBLER. 

the  underlying  game,  and  the  changes  it 
undergoes,  by  watching  the  outward  and  vis- 
ible indications  of  its  progress  as  afforded  by 
the  table  with  chips  and  players.  These  man- 
ifestations are  alwa^-s  curious.  They  assume 
forms  of  infinite  variet}'.  When  specially 
examined  as  indicative  of  the  quality  of  greed 
referred  to,  they  are  marked  and  interesting. 
The  player  becomes  totally  absorbed  as  if  in 
a  trance ;  he  does  not  hear  the  story  which  is 
being  related  by  a  disengaged  associate;  his 
entire  being  is  concentrated  in  the  stake  im- 
mediately at  issue  ;  it  may  be  -the  last  cent 
which  one  of  them  possesses,  and  yet  his 
opponent,  knowing  this,  is  as  eager  to  obtain 
it  as  if  it  involved  the  retention  of  his  own 
eternal  salvation. 

Greed,  grasping,  profound,  swinish,  is  the 
controlling  element  in  this  subjective  game 
of  poker,  this,  tlie  inward,  real  contest.  It 
does  not  involve  the  possession  of  some  stake 
offered  as  a  prize  for  strength  or  skill,  but  is 
really  for  the  vulgar  possession  of  money. 
It  is  not  a  contest  between  chivalrous  knights, 
but  is  in  the  nature  of  a  hoggish  rush  for  the 
provender  poured  in  the  trough. 

Other  qualities  than  those  of  greed  develop 


THE   GAMBLER.  I99 

themselves  in  this  underlying  game.  Intense 
antagonisms  are  generated.  The  loss  of  a 
pile  of  chips  begets  in  the  loser  a  momentary 
hatred  which  in  its  intensity  is  murderous. 
These  constantly-occurring  ebullitions  of 
anger  constitute,  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours 
a  sufficient  aggregate  to  incite  the  commission 
of  a  homicide  or  almost  any  other  deadly 
offence.  This  manifestation  permits  the  con- 
clusion that  the  real  game  of  poker  pos- 
sesses another  element  in  addition  to  greed — 
that  of  hatred. 

In  what  is  termed  a  "  gentlemen's  game," 
in  which  the  players  at  least  pass  for  gentle- 
men in  society,  in  their  symptomatic  role  as 
players,  they  become  demoralized  in  tone  and 
speech.  Ribaldry  trickles  into  the  conversa- 
tion ;  profanity  makes  its  appearance  here 
and  there ;  a  curse  wrung  by  disappointment 
or  an  oath  elicited  by  triumph  punctuates  the 
flow  of  conversation.  Indecent  narrations, 
foul  expressions,  bald  and  offensive  vulgarity 
are  among  the  frequent  developments. 

This  permits  another  deduction  as  to  the  real 
qualities  of  the  game.  Greed  and  hatred 
have  been  shown  to  be  essential  portions  of 
Its  composition;  and  now,  when  indecent  nar- 


200  THE   GAMBLER. 

rations,  oaths,  curses  are  exhibited,  there  is 
established  the  existence  of  another  quality 
which  may  be  termed  moral  laxity. 

A  marked  lack  of  sympathy  is  constantly 
manifested  in  the  game.  Men  under  its  influ- 
ences become  as  hard  as  steel,  and  as  void 
of  sympathy  as  a  dead  hog.  Cases  in  which 
players  have  lost  to  the  extent  of  crippling 
them  and  their  families  never  excite  the  com- 
miseration of  the  gamester,  but  rather  afford 
him  something  in  the  nature  of  a  feeling  of 
triumph. 

The  rank  superstition  developed  at  the 
gaming  table  has  manv  horrifying  phases. 
It  often  happens  that  hours  will  pass  and  a 
player  will  never  have  a  winning  hand  dealt 
him,  while  the  other  players  are  getting  some- 
thing. He  begins  to  think  that  there  can  be 
no  mere  chance  in  this  condition  in  which, 
sit  where  he  will  at  the  table,  cut  and  deal  the 
cards  as  he  may,  he  gets  nothing. 

"  How  can  blind  chance,"  he  asks  angrily, 
"  arrange  to  give  these  men  good  cards  in 
every  deal,  and  thus  skip  me  for  hours? 
Chance  cannot  do  it!"  And  then  the  idea  of 
some  intelligent  potency  presents  itself  as 
interfering  to  prevent  his  success.     There  is 


THE   GAMBLER.  20I 

but  one  power  that  can  do  this  and  that,  God. 
A  feeling  of  hatred  arises.  "  What  have  I  done 
that  He  should  interfere?"  Often  this  idea 
finds  expression  in  words.  The  name  of  Deity 
is  foully  aspersed  for  His  supposed  malignant 
influence  in  the  game. 

One  sometimes  hears  God  cursed  as  if  He 
were  a  beast.  Revolting  blasphemies  are 
heard  which  do  not  spare  the  Virgin  nor  the 
Son. 

And  thus  in  addition  to  greed,  hatred,  lack 
of  sympathy  and  the  like,  the  underlying 
game  of  poker  develops  blasphemy  of  the 
most  shocking  nature.  It  is  not  the  same  as 
the  average  oath  of  execration,  or  the  savage 
curse  hurled  at  intangible  luck,  but  a  direct, 
blind  and  furious  assault  directed  against  the 
very  throne. 

Such  are  the  detestable  qualities  which  un- 
derlie, and  energize  the  average  game  of 
poker.  An  analysis  of  the  motives  inspiring 
any  species  of  gambling  will  show  the  same 
component  elements. 

Every  confirmed  gambler  is  at  once  a  brute, 
a  blasphemer,  and  often  a  drunkard  and  a 
debauche.     He  is  the  sum  of  all  wickedness. 

All  these  depths  were  being  gradually  ex- 


202  THE   GAMBLER. 

plored  by  Paul  Calkins.  He  did  not  limit 
himself  to  the^ame  in  the  Hawk  club.  Once 
Lafarge  said  to  him,  late  one  night,  when  he 
had  been  a  loser : 

"  Let's  go  over  and  get  even  at  the  bank.'' 
They  went  to  a  faro-den,  and  thenceforth 
Paul  added  this  branch  of  dissipation  to  his 
sum-total.  Sometimes  he  made  a  large  win- 
ning, by  which  he  was  elated,  and  led  to  be- 
lieve that  he  had  discovered  the  process  by 
which  he  might  recover  his  already  enormous 
losses.  But  the  belief  was  illusory  ;  while  he 
now  and  then  won  at  the  new  game,  the  aver- 
age results  were  against  him,  and  he  contin- 
ued to  be  a  regular  loser. 

In  proportion  as  he  lost,  he  drank  to  drown 
his  regret;  his  humiliation  and  the  remem- 
brance of  his  losses.  Alcohol  is  a  speedy 
builder ;  it  reconstructs  fortunes,  restores 
lost  happiness,  but  its  works  are  ephemeral. 
The  castle  of  to-night,  with  its  turrets,  its 
barbacans,  its  merlons,  and  its  lofty  ramparts, 
which  alcohol  builds  at  the  prayer  of  the 
homeless  vagabond,  is  very  beautiful,  statel}', 
and  apparently  imperishable,  and  yet  the  sun 
of  morning  melts  it  away  like  frost-work. 


THE   GAMBLER.  203 


IX. 

MOTHER  AND   BABE. 

Eleanor  Calkins,  unlike  a  majority  of  women 
in  her  character,  her  experiences,  and  her 
marriage,  was  utterly  unlike  them  in  many 
other  particulars.  The  increasing  absences 
of  her  husband  at  night ;  the  evidences  that 
he  was  guilty  of  excess  in  his  drinking,  the 
changes  to  the  worse  in  his  appearance  and 
temper,  all  these  did  not  cause  her  to  lose  her 
confidence  in  him. 

He  had  told  her  that  he  was  much  embar- 
rassed in  business  matters,  and  she  believed 
him.  She  was  willing  to  conclude  that  to 
this  fact  were  due  his  late  hours,  his  over- 
stimulation, and  his  altered  demeanor.  That 
he  was  engaged  in  gambling,  she  never  for  a 
moment  suspected.  In  fact,  in  this  respect, 
there  was  exhibited  one  of  her  characteristics 
in  which  she  differed  essentially  from  most 
other  wives.     She  did  not  have  a  particle  of 


204  THE   GAMBLER, 

the  mischiev^ous  element,  suspicion,  in  her 
composition. 

The  average  wife  too  often  regards  the 
husband  as  a  piece  of  personal  property,  some- 
what as  if  he  were  a  poodle  to  be  led  by  a 
string.  She  is  everlastingly  haunted  by  a 
suspicion  that  when  not  in  sight,  he  is  en- 
gaged in  something  wrong.  That  he  is  ever 
kept  out  late  by  business,  billiards,  or  in  an 
innocent  drinking  bout  with  some  old  cronies, 
is  preposterous.  There  are,  in  the  estimate 
of  some  wives  but  two  reasons  why  their  hus- 
band remains  out  late  at  night  ;  one  of  these 
is  gambling,  and  the  other,  women. 

Eleanor  lacked  the  possession  of  this  brutal 
incredulity  in  her  husband's  integrity,  and  as 
a  consequence  did  not  overwhelm  him  with 
innuendoes,  and  complaints.  In  fact,  Paul 
often  wished  that  she  might  greet  him  with 
tears  and  reproaches  ;  "For,"  as  he  thought, 
"  her  gentle  patience  makes  my  misdoings 
seem  all  the  more  inexcusable.  Should  she 
play  the  termagant,  it  would  afford  me  an 
opportunity  to  fly  into  a  passion,  and  give  me 
some  sort  of  an  excuse  for  my  offences." 

Unfortunately  the  downward  career  of  Paul 
was  so  swift  that   nothing  less  potent  than 


THE   GAMBLER.  205 

annihilation  could  stop  it.  However,  her  un- 
complaining' endurance  could  have  done  more 
than  any  ordinary  obstacle  to  slow  his  des- 
cent, although  it  would  have  failed  to  arrest 
it.  Persistent  "nagging,''  querulous  complain- 
ing, denunciation,  scolding,  abuse,  whimper- 
ing, tears,  on  the  part  of  a  wife,  never  yet 
reformed  the  faults  of  a  husband;  on  the 
other  hand,  the  result  is  generally  to  arouse 
a  spirit  of  defiance,  and  to  intensify  and  con- 
firm, the  habits  complained  of. 

Not  irritated  by  suspicions  as  to  the  cause 
of  her  husband's  absence,  the  burden  she 
was  called  on  to  bear  was,  for  the  time, 
much  lightened.  She  felt  concerned,  of 
course,  that  he  was  embarrassed  in  business 
matters,  but  even  this  was  not  oppressive. 
She  had  shown  when  she  left  her  paternal 
home  that  she  held  considerations  of  wealth 
much  lower  than  others  relating  to  her  per- 
sonal preferences.  Hence,  the  possible  loss 
of  fortune  did  not  greatly  distress  her. 

The  only  thmg  that  disturbed  her  was  the 
mental  condition  of  Paul.  That  he  was  suf- 
fering intensely  was  shown  by  his  appearance, 
his  extreme  nervous  irritation,  and  his  inflam- 
matory   temper.     From    an     equable,    ever- 


206  THE   GAMBLER. 

pleasant  companion,  he  had  become  irascible 
to  an  extraordinary  extent.  She  could,  had 
she  been  of  the  ordinai"y  mould,  have  taken 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  retaliate  by 
sharp  retorts,  and  a  clamorous  antagonism. 
She  did  nothing  of  the  kind.  She  bore  his 
impatience  without  resistance,  and  by  every 
means  which  gentleness  could  suggest,  en- 
deavored to  alleviate  rather  than  to  aug- 
ment the  unpleasantness  of  the  situation. 

If,  in  after  life,  Eleanor  had  occasion  to 
review  this  period  with  all  its  surroundings 
plainly  within  her  vision,  she  would  be  able 
to  at  least  say  : 

"  Had  I  made  myself  a  thorn  in  his  side  at 
that  period  it  would  only  have  increased  his 
wretchedness  !" 

The  jaw,  as  its  use  was  illustrated  by  Sam- 
son, is  destructive  of  human  life;  and  in  no 
case  on  record  has  it  been  of  value  in  the 
cure  of  deep-seated  maladies  like  intemper- 
ance, gambling,  and  similar  afflictions. 

One  warm  afternoon,  Eleanor  and  her  babe 
were  alone  in  the  sleeping-room.  It  was  a 
most  charming  picture,  the  mother,  the  child, 
and  their  surroundings.  Soft-hued  curtains 
gave  tone  to  the  light,  and  modified  furniture 


THE   GAMBLER.  207 

and  pictures  into  a  harmonious  unity.  Elea- 
nor lay  extended  on  the  white  counterpane 
of  the  bed  reclining  partly  on  her  right  side 
and  shoulder,  while  the  babe  lay  in  the  bend 
of  her  arm,  with  its  face  to  that  of  the 
mother.  She  wore  a  wrap  of  some  thin  stuff 
that  revealed  beneath  it  the  exquisite  out- 
lines of  her  form  in  all  their  rounded  beauty 
from  her  slippered  feet  to  her  snow-white 
neck.  Her  purplish  hair  was  uncoiled,  and 
flung  back  and  lay  in  broad,  and  charming 
confusion  over  the  white  couvcrtnrc,  affording 
a  beautiful  contrast  in  color  effects. 

The  infant,  now  something  over  a  year  in 
age,  was  a  slender  little  figure  with  a  coronal 
of  flossy  gold.  Its  face  was  turned  toward 
the  mother's,  and  its  tiny  hands  wandered 
over  her  shapely  bosom  with  caressing 
touches. 

Eleanor's  face  exhibited  some  indications 
of  change  since  the  day  when  she  first  put  on 
the  wedding  ring.  She  was  perceptibly  a 
trifle  older.  Her  face  had  thinned  a  shade; 
her  eyes  had  deepened  a  little  in  their  blue- 
ness.  The  change  was  not,  however,  for  the 
worse.  The  virginal  shyness  no  longer 
shone  from  cheeks,  eyes  and  forehead,  but  in 


208  THE   GAMBLER. 

their  place  had  come  a  something  suggestive 
of  maturity.  It  was  the  ripe,  rich  maternal 
bloom  that  characterized  her  countenance, 
and  gave  it  a  mellow  warmth. 

A  close  observer  may  have  noticed  in 
addition  to  these  changes,  a  hint,  a  trace,  of 
anxiety  which  had  found  lodgement  in  tiny 
depressions  at  the  corners  of  her  mouth  and 
beneath  her  eyes.  It  may  have  been  the 
tone  of  the  softened  light  that  produced  this 
impression,  it  may  be  that  the  lines  were 
there,  but  so  faint  that  they  were  more  in  the 
nature  of  a  foreshadowing  than  a  reality. 

There  is  no  period  in  a  mother's  life  so  full 
of  unalloyed  happiness  as  when  she  watches 
the  progress  of  the  slow  developments  of  her 
baby.  She  sees  indications  of  recognition 
and  intelligence  long  before  they  can  be  de- 
tected by  others.  Its  inchoate  utterances 
assume  form  and  meaning  early  to  her  mind  ; 
and  what  to  others  is  mere  sound  is  to  her 
ears  the  intelligent  expression  of  a  thought. 
She  distinguishes  the  word  "  Ma-ma,"  days, 
weeks  before  it  becomes  tangible  to  the  ears  of 
other  hearts. 

How  her  thoughts  wander  out  into  the 
remote  distance  as  she  gazes  fondly  into  the 


THE   GAMBLER.  209 

face  of  the  little  dot !  If  it  be  a  girl,  the 
mother  sees  her  full-grown,  and  in  the  far  fu- 
ture the  attendant,  the  affectionate  servitor  of 
a  gray-haired  woman  ;  if  a  boy,  she  sees  him 
a  healthy,  robust  man,  beautiful  in  his  face 
and  in  his  life,  and  the  willing  staff  of  her 
old  age. 

Alas,  how  many  of  these  sweet  imaginings 
fail  to  become  realized  !  It  is  a  grand  provi- 
sion in  the  construction  of  things  that  the 
future  is  veiled  against  human  vision.  What 
mother  would  dare  risk  the  view  of  the  real- 
ity to  come,  as  she  sits  dreaming  over  her  in- 
nocent and  helpless  child  ? 

Like  all  mothers,  Eleanor  babbled  to,  and 
gossiped  with,  her  baby.  She  pretended  to 
receive  wonderful  secrets  from  its  lips,  and  in 
turn  told  it  impromptu  fairy  tales  relating  to 
the  present  and  the  future,  and  the  while, 
punctuated  her  narrations  with  quick  kisses 
snatched  from  the  rose-bud  lips.  Papa, 
Mamma  and  the  Baby,  the  trinity  of  the  ma- 
ternal worship,  were  mainly  the  theme  of  her 
caressing  words,  and  thus  it  ran  in  some  of 
its  phases: 

"  Does  she  love  her  mamma  ?  Does  she 
love  her  papa?  Poor  papa!  It  must  love 
14 


210  THE  GAMBLER. 

papa !  Papa  loves  the  baby,  and  baby  must 
love  papa  !  Give  me  a  great  big  kiss,  if  you 
love  papa  !  There  !  that's  awful  sweet !  Now 
I  know  that  you  will  love  poor  papa  !  Will 
my  sweetie  always  stay  with  her  mamma, 
and  always  love  her,  and  always  be  her  bles- 
sed little  darling?" 

To  the  musty  nature  of  the  old  maid  and 
that  of  the  confirmed  old  bachelor,  and  in 
fact  to  very  few  people  outside  the  mother 
and  child,  is  the  baby-talk  of  the  former  of 
surpassing  interest.  In  truth,  however,  it  is 
among  the  choicest  of  human  utterances,  for 
it  is  the  unalloyed  inspirations  of  pure  af- 
fection. 

The  kiss  of  the  wife  may  in  reality  mean  a 
seal-skin  cloak  ;  that  of  the  maiden  b}^  a  youth, 
betrayal;  that  of  XX^q  fiancee  the  splendor  of 
the  engagement  ring,  that  of  the  child  the 
prospect  of  cake  or  candies.  But  the  kiss  of 
the  babbling  infant  by  its  mother  has  no  ulte- 
rior motive  ;  it  is  an  emanation  straight  from 
the  depths  of  the  maternal  heart. 

It  is  possible  that  in  the  prattle  of  Eleanor 
to  her  infant  she  may  have  unconsciously 
indicated  something  in  the  nature  of  a  faint 
foreboding.     The  frequent  allusic^ns  to  "  poor 


THE   GAMBLER.  .211 

papa"  may  have  been  the  expression  of  one 
of  those  deeper  impressions  which,  without 
premonition,  or  apparent  reason,  giv^e  exist- 
ence to  a  menacing  note.  It  may  be  that 
there  are  certain  instincts,  located  deep  in 
the  composition  of  men,  which,  like  the  rattle 
of  the  snake,  present  warning  of  coming 
peril. 

Often  in  the  night  there  rises  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  stream  of  slumber  ncjxious  bub- 
bles which  burst  and  taint  the  atmosphere 
breathed  by  the  sleeper.  In  whatever  shape 
they  appear,  they  are  intangible,  evanescent, 
indefinable,  and  in  some  vague  wa}-,  afford 
an  augury  of  evil. 


212  THE  GAMBLER. 


X. 

TRICKS   OF  THE    TRADE. 

One  morning  after  Paul  had  risen  from  his 
bed,  after  having  slept  with  the  feverish  un- 
rest growing  from  intoxication  and  nervous 
irritation,  he  presented  an  unusually  haggard 
appearance.  Black  sacks  had  formed  beneath 
his  e3'es,  deep  lines  had  been  plowed  from 
the  corners  of  his  mouth,  his  complexion  had 
a  tinge  of  yellow,  and  his  voice  was  tremulous 
and  husky. 

Eleanor  was  startled  by  the  change  in  his 
appearance,  and  said  : 

"You  are  not  well  this  morning,  are  you?" 

"No,  I'm  feeling  wretched." 

"  What  do  you  think  is  the  trouble  ?"' 

"  Well,  in  fact,  I  think  it  is  mental,  and 
comes  from  business  difficulties." 

"  Indeed  !" 

"  Ves,  I'm  in  deep  waters,  and  whether  or 
not  I  shall  be  drowned  is  as  yet  uncertain." 


THE   GAMBLER.  213 

"  Wovild  there  be  any  use  in  your  telling 
me  the  situation?  Could  I  be  of  any  assist- 
ance in  any  way  ? 

"  I'm  afraid  not.  Women  do  not  compre- 
hend business  details.  It  would  only  worry 
you.  Still,  I  suppose  you  might  understand 
that  I  have  already  lost  a  good  deal  of  money 
in  my  business,  and  unless  some  change  comes, 
I  shall  lose  a  good  deal  more." 

"  I'm  very  sorry  to  hear  it,"  said  Eleanor 
with  a  sympathetic  voice.  "  Is  there  no  pos- 
sibility that  things  may  change  for  the 
better?" 

"  They  may,  and  they  may  not.  I  have  a 
lai-ge  sum  in  the  Crystal  Gold-mining  Co., 
which  IS  about  certain  to  be  a  dead  loss.  I 
bought  a  large  quantity  of  wheat,  and  the 
price  is  dropping  every  day.  Some  South- 
western which  I  sold  is  going  up,  and  some 
St.  Louis  and  Mackinaw  securities  which  I 
took  on  a  debt  at  33  have  dropped  to  7." 

"Why,  that  is  perfectly  awful!  I  don't 
wonder  that  you  are  ill.  But  never  mind  ! 
Health  is  far  better  than  money  ;  don't  worry  ! 
What  can't  be  helped  must  be  endured.'' 

It  will  be  seen  that  Eleanor  in  this  matter 
as  in  so  many  others,  differed  from  the   aver- 


214  THE   GAMBLER. 

age  wife.  She  did  not  ask  him  why  he  hadn't 
more  sense  than  to  buy  wheat  when  he  ought 
to  have  sold  it;  or  why  he  hadn't  asked  her 
advice  in  his  investments,  on  the  ground  that 
two  heads  are  better  than  one  ;  which  was 
always  the  way  with  the  men  who  never  think 
women  have  any  sense  ;  and  if  they  would 
consult  them  oftener  and  take  their  advice, 
they  would  be  much  better  off! 

As  may  be  inferred  by  those  who  are  famil- 
iar with  the  career  of  Paul  up  to  this  date,  he 
showed  himself,  in  his  communications  to  his 
wife,  to  be  an  "able-bodied  liar."  All  the 
investments  and  losses  which  he  detailed  were 
pure  inventions.  He  had  not  a  dollar  in 
grain,  mines,  or  stocks;  it  was  true  that  his 
business  was  irretrievably  embarrassed,  and 
that  he  had  lost  large  amounts  of  money.  All 
of  it,  however,  had  gone  across  the  "  lay-out " 
of  the  faro-dealer,  or  over  the  table  of  the, 
poker-players. 

He  did  not  tell  her  that  through  his  neg- 
lect of  his  duties,  he  had  quarreled  with  his 
partners  of  the  book-house  with  which  he  had 
been  connected,  and  that  he  had  been  forced 
to  withdraw,  and  that  now  he  had  no  legiti- 
mate occupation — his  entire  time  when  absent 


THE   GAMBLER.  21$ 

from  home  being  spent  in  the  card-room  of 
the  Hawk  club  or  in  other  localities  devoted 
to  gambling. 

In  fine,  in  his  babble  about  wheat,  South- 
western.  Crystal  and  the  like,  he  had  made 
no  mention  of  the  fact  that  he  was  already 
near  the  brink  of  bankruptcy. 

"  Let  us  hope  for  the  best!"  were  the  last 
words  of  the  womanly  nature  of  his  wife. 
They  were  not  the  utterance  of  an  average 
wifely  feeling,  for  that  would  have  insisted 
that  whatever  he  had  done  was  wrong,  and 
that  if  there  was  anything  he  contemplated 
doing,  he  should  do  something  else. 

He  derived  little  comfort  from  the  hopeful 
suggestions  of  Eleanor.  He  knew  that  unless 
chance  reversed  the  existing  conditions,  that 
if  things  went  on  long  as  they  were  now 
going,  there  was  nothing  before  him  but  ab- 
solute ruin. 

One  may  wonder  that  at  this  point  in  his 
career,  appreciating  all  the  evils  of  his  posi- 
tion, and  foreseeing  all  that  menaced  him  in 
the  future,  he  did  not  at  once  change  his  life 
and  devote  himself  to  rescuing  the  remnants 
of  his  property,  and  the  rebuilding  of  at  least 
a  portion  of   his   fortune.     Manhood    would 


2l6  THE   GAMBLER. 

suggest  such  a  course;  the  thought  of  wife 
and  child  should  be  an  imperative  command 
to  him  to  take  such  action ;  the  good  opinion 
of  the  world,  decency,  honesty,  the  love  of 
family  ;  in  brief,  everything  good  and  virtuous 
called  on  him  to  at  once  change  the  course  of 
his  life. 

As  well  ask  the  confirmed  inebriate  to 
abandon  his  appetite  for  drink;  the  idiot  to 
shake  off  his  imbecility  ;  the  consumptive  to 
throw  aside  the  lesions  of  his  lungs,  as  to  ask 
the  hardened  gambler  to  give  up  his  infatua- 
tion. The  confirmed  drunkard,  the  incurable 
imbecile,  and  the  doomed  consumptive  may 
ardently  desire  relief,  but  it  is  beyond  their 
power. 

There  may  be  cases  where  the  gambler  has 
reformed,  but  they  are  rare.  Statements 
prevail  here  and  there  through  the  ages,  of 
the  dead  having  been  restored  to  life;  but 
the  instances  are  few,  and  their  authenticity 
doubtful. 

At  that  period  in  the  history  of  Chicago,  as 
is  true  of  substantially  all  other  periods, 
gambling  possessed  a  thousand  advantageous 
points.  It  was  sustained  by  the  police 
authorities  ;  it  was  not  condemned  by  a  unan- 


THE   GAMBLER.  21/ 

imous  public  opinion;  and  in  view  of  the 
gigantic  speculations  in  real  estate,  and  the 
products  dealt  with  on  the  Board  of  Trade,  a 
speculator,  alias  a  gambler,  was  not  tabooed 
as  he  should  have  been.  In  fine,  gambling 
was  tolerated. 

Men  who  owned  gambling-dives,  or  had  an 
interest  in  them,  were  in  some  well-known 
instances,  members  of  the  Board  of  Trade. 
They  went  on  the  board  during  business  hours, 
bought  and  sold  grain  in  larger  or  smaller 
quantities,  but  mainly  used  their  positions  to 
secure  customers  for  their  private  business. 
Such  men  gave  gambling  a  quasi  respect- 
ability. They  visited  the  corridors  of  the  large 
hotels  and  skillfully  introduced  themselves  to 
strangers,  and  lured  them  to  their  dens. 

In  every  establishment  devoted  to  faro 
there  were  rooms  for  poker  parties.  In  the 
rear  of  a  great  majority  of  all  the  whisky  dens 
there  were  inclosed  stalls  in  which  poker  was 
played  night  and  day.  Over  all  the  business 
portion  of  the  city,  and  along  the  avenues, 
there  were  "  clubs  "  organized  under  the  laws 
for  one  purpose  and  devoted  exclusively  to 
gambling. 

All  sorts  of  devices  were    resorted  to  for 


2l8  THE   GAMBLER. 

Lhe  securing  of  patronage.  Dignified  men 
haunted  the  hotels  and  places  of  amusement 
to  make  the  acquaintance  of  strangers,  to 
invite  them  to  a  quiet  place  to  drink  a  bottle 
of  wine,  and  which  was  always  decanted  in 
the  ante-rooms  of  a  gambling  hell.  No  man 
was  safe  from  the  influence  of  this  far-reaching 
agency.  A  well-dressed,  polite,  genteel  per- 
son would  enter  the  ofSce  of  a  business  man  : 

"  Good-morning,  sir  !  1  hope  you  are  quite 
well,  sir." 

"  Good-morning,"  the  occupant  would  nat- 
urally respond.  And  then,  scannmg  the  caller 
with  some  hesitation,  "  I  can't  justrecall  your 
name,  although  your  face  is  very  familiar — 
let  me  see — " 

"  Guess  you  don't  remember  me.  My 
name  is  Johnson  of  the  firm  of  Crooks  &  Co., 
and  I  met  you  at  the  banquet  of  the  Herring 
club." 

"  Ah,  yes,  I  remember,"  says  the  other  with 
that  mendacity  which  seems  to  be  an  essential 
part  of  the  amenities  of  social  life.  "  Sit 
down,  Mr.  Johnson.  What  can  I  do  for  you, 
this  morning?" 

"  Well,  this  is  it:  You  know  the  manager 
of    the    St.  Bacchus  hotel.?     No?     Well,  he 


THE   GAMBLER,  219 

knows  you,  and  he  asked  me  to  call  on  you 
and  say  that  Mr.  Jones,  and  Mr.  Brown  and 
two  or  three  other  gentlemen  are  anxious  to 
have  a  quiet  place  w  here  tliey  can  meet  and 
have  a  little  game  of  poker,  and  they  would 
like  to  have  you  join  them." 

The  names  of  Brown  and  Jones  are  those 
of  well-known  citizens,  and  the  business  man 
is  flattered  that  they  have  thought  of  him  as 
a  member  of  their  part}'. 

"  Yes,  I  don't  mind  dropping  around  some 
evening." 

"  All  right,  come  this  evening.  Brown  and 
Jones  have  both  promised  to  have  a  little  ses- 
sion at  eight  o'clock." 

"I'll  see.     Perhaps  I  may  drop  in." 

The  slick  Mr.  Johnson  bids  him  a  polite, 
an  almost  obsequious  adieu,  leaving  the  bus- 
iness man  under  the  impi'ession  that  he  is 
a  highly-esteemed  citizen. 

The  agile  Johnson  next  flies  to  the  business 
places  of  Messrs.  Brown  and  Jones,  introduces 
himself  in  about  the  same  fashion  to  those 
two  gentlemen  respectively,  and  tells  each 
the  hotel  romance,  and  simply  changes  the 
recital  by  introducing  the  name  of  Mr.  Smith, 
whom  he  had  just  visited.     Both  gentlemen 


220  THE   GAMBLER. 

feel  highly  complimented  with  the  invitation, 
and  promise  to  be  on  hand. 

Mr.  Johnson  then  hiiriies  back  to  the  St. 
Bacchus  caravansera,  ascends  three  flights  of 
stairs,  knocks  in  a  peculiar  manner  at  a  door, 
which  is  at  once  opened,  admitting  him 
into  an  ordinary  hotel  sleeping-room,  by  a 
slim  young  man  with  traces  of  small-pox 
ravages  on  his  countenance,  and  up-ended 
moustache,  and  with  hair  well-sfreased  and 
parted  exactly  along  a  line  perpendicular  to 
the  axis  of  his  ears. 

"Got  'em,  by ,  cully  !"  he  ejaculates  in 

a   triumphant    voice.     *'  Each   old 

bit    without    even    stoppin'    to  nibble. 


They'll  all  be  on  hand  this  evenin',  and  we'll 
have  a  fine  racket,  for  they've  got  no  end  of 
stuff," 

"  Who'll  we  get  to  entertain  'em  ?" 

"Well,  there's  'Cracker  Jack;'  how'U  he 
do?" 

"  First  class,  only  he's  stayin'  under  cover 
because  his  'uncle'  has  his  clamps  on  his 
clean  shirt." 

•'•  So .'  Well,  you'll  have  to  fix  him  out  the 
best  you  can.  He'll  be  a  clerk  in  a  real  estate 
office.  He  ought  to  do  it  well,  because  he 
always  has  samples  on  hand  with  him." 


THE   GAMBLER.  221 

When  the  smiling-  Brown,  Jones  and  Smith 
climb  up  to  the  room  in  the  evening,  they 
find  Mr.  Snapp,  a  real-estate  dealer;  Mr. 
Gobble,  a  board  of  trade  man,  and  Mr. 
Shuffle,  cattle-dealer  from  Montana,  a  bluff, 
honest-looking  old  gentleman,  all  waiting  for 
them. 

They  are  delighted  when  they  see  the 
cloth  removed  from  a  table  in  the  center  of 
the  room,  and  discover  that  the  piece  of 
furniture  has  a  slit  in  the  middle,  while  a 
moment  later  a  pack  of  cards  is  tossed  on  the 
green  cloth,  and  the  pock-marked  person 
produces  a  rack  of  chips,  and  then  stands 
patiently  to  get  a  response  to  his  query: 
"How  many  will  you  have,  gentlemen?" 
Each  of  the  trio  is  pleased  over  all  these 
things,  because  each  of  them  believes  that  it 
was  all  done  for  his  special  benefit  by  the 
others. 

This  "fake"  is  one  of  the  most  common, 
even  at  this  time.  It  is  successful  in  "rop- 
ing" any  number  of  good-natured  business 
men  into  a  game  where  they  are  fleeced  by 
sharpers  without  the  slightest  difficulty. 

With  these  inducements  meeting  one  at 
every  step,  it  was  and  is  almost  impossible  to 


222  THE    GAMBLER, 

avoid  the  entanglements  of  the  gambling 
dens.  Always  is  the  "sucker,"  as  the  con- 
templated victim  is  universally  known  among 
the  fraternity,  informed  that  it  is  a  "  little 
game"  among  "  business  men,"  and  "no  gam- 
blers admitted." 

The  multiplicit}'  of  these  avenues  hellward  ; 
the  attractions  which  environ  their  entrance  ; 
the  bursts  of  music  and  hilarity  which  come 
up  from  the  distance,  render  them  pop- 
ular, and  the  crowds  about  them  fight  for 
entrance. 

Enveloped  in  an  atmosphere  of  speculation  ; 
with  gambling  everywhere  about  him  ;  with 
constant  inducements  about  him  to  lead  him 
nsti'ay,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  Paul 
Calkins  traveled  the  beaten  pathway's,  in 
company  with  the  crowds,  and  swiftly  made 
his  way  toward  perdition. 


THE   GAMBLER.  223 


XI. 

THE   BATS   IN   SEARCH   OF   PREY. 

Lafarge  had  given  up  his  commercial  posi- 
tion and  now  had  an  interest  in  a  faro-bank. 
He  was  not  able  to  supply  the  necessary  capi- 
tal himself,  but  had  found  no  trouble  in  obtain- 
ing all  that  was  needed.  A  well-known  pro- 
fessional gambler  acted  as  the  figure-head  of 
the  new  adventure;  Lafarge  took  charge  of 
the  outside  business,  such  as  "plugging" — that 
is  drumming  for  customers — and  the  main 
amount  of  capital  was  furnished  by  a  wealthy 
and  prominent  business  man. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  in  Chicago  that  a  large 
share  of  the  money  used  to  back  faro-banks, 
is  supplied  by  men  who,  as  a  rule,  belong  to 
what  are  kno^^  n  as  the  better  classes.  The 
same  thing  is  seen  in  other  directions.  Much 
of  the  property  used  for  sexual  traffic,  in 
many  parts  of  the  city,  is  owned  by  citizens 
of  high  social  standing,  and  large  wealth,  and 


224  THE   GAMBLER. 

who  are  perfectly  informed  as  to  the  uses 
made  of  their  tenements. 

Without  the  backing  of  this  class  of  men 
who  are  possessed  of  money,  the  faro-bank 
would  be  a  much  smaller  factor  than  it  now 
is.  It  is  a  capital  investment,  and  pa3'S  a 
much  larger  percentage  than  any  legitimate 
business. 

"  You  see,"  said  Lafarge,  in  conversation 
with  a  man  whom  he  finally  induced  to  fur- 
nish the  means,  "there  is  nothing  that  pays  so 
well  as  a  gc^od  faro-bank.  You  are  certain  to 
get  from  hfty  to  a  thousand  per  cent,  on  your 
money." 

"But  isn't  there  a  chance  of  losing?" 
queried  the  cautious  capitalist. 

"  No,  sir  !  Not  one  chance  in  ten  thousand. 
Faro  is  for  the  owner  as  near  a  sure  thing  as 
can  be  operated." 

"  How,  if  such  be  the  fact,  is  it  that  1  see 
now  and  then  in  the  newspapers  accounts  of 
the  winning  against  a  bank  of  five,  ten  and 
even  twenty  thousand  dollars,  by  some 
player  ?" 

"  Oh,  that's  a  '  fake  !'  That  is  done  to  catch 
the  '  chumps.'  By  an  understanding  with 
some  chap,  he  is  reported    to    have  made  a 


THE   GAMBLER.  225 

tremendous  winning  against  a  ceitain  bank, 
which  the  newspapers  all  publish.  Every- 
body sees  the  item,  and  every  one  thinks  :  '  A 
bank  which  would  lose  so  much,  must  be  on 
the  square ;  and  if  Dinks  can  win  five  thou- 
sand, there  is  no  reason  wh}'  I  shouldn't  have 
the  same  luck.'  As  a  consequence,  such  a 
rumor  always  brings  hundreds  of  new  cus- 
tomers, and  the  bank,  without  losing  a  cent, 
gains  largely  in  custom." 

"Ah,  I  see!"  said  the  capitalist  grinning,  as 
he  spoke,  over  the  smartness  of  the  trans- 
action. 

"  Yes,  that's  the  racket.  It  is  as  old  as  gam- 
bling. It  was  done  in  the  same  way,  and  for 
the  same  purpose  three  hundred  3'ears  ago." 

"  Is  it  possible !  And  why  don't  people 
see  through  it  ?" 

"The  people  as  a  rule  are  gulls.  It  is  true 
that  this  *  fake'  is  hundreds  of  years  old,  and 
has  been  perpetrated  on  each  generation,  and 
exposed  a  million  times,  and  yet  the  idiots 
fall  into  the  trap  every  time  it  is  baited  with 
this  '  Big  Winning'  meat.  It  is  the  same 
in  lotteries.  Every  few  months  it  appears  in 
the  press  that  a  tailor,  or  a  blacksmith,  or 
some  obscure  person  has  won  a  large  prize  in 
15 


226  THE   GAMBLER. 

a  lottery.  His  name,  residence  and  all  partic- 
ulars are  given,  and  thereupon  people  say, 
'  If  this  were  not  true  the  papers  would  not 
give  the  name  and  address  of  the  winner. 
Lotteries  are  honest,  after  all  ;  they  do  give 
prizes  ;  there  is  a  chance  of  winning,  and  so, 
let's  all  buy  tickets.'  " 

"  I  should  think  that  men  would  get  wiser 
in  this  age,  when  ever3'body  can  read  the 
newspapers,  and  learn  of  all  these  things  and 
the  manner  in  which  they  can  avoid  being 
over-reached." 

"  One  would  naturally  think  so,  it  is  true  ; 
but  as  a  fact,  the  race  does  not  imprdve  in 
sagacity.  It  is  as  gullible  as  it  ever  was. 
Some  new  thing  is  now  and  then  required  to 
catch  the  '  suckers,'  but  not  many.  As  you 
can  see  by  the  papers,  every  da}-  there  is  a 
'  jay'  who  is  caught  on  the  old  bunko-swindle, 
or  on  the  bogus  check  or  bond  '  racket;'  the 
thing  is  exposed  by  the  newspapers,  and  yet 
the  green  ones  are  none  the  wiser.  I  tell 
you  that  there  is  more  money  in  working  on 
the  credulity  and  stupidity  of  people  than  in 
any  of  the  regular  methods  of  business." 

The  capitalist  readil}''  advanced  the  money 
after  hearing  the  statements    of  Lafarge.     It 


THE   GAMBLER.  22/ 

is  unnecessary  to  state  that  he  regularly  re- 
ceived a  substantial  dividend  on  his  share  of 
the  "  bank-roll." 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  men  will 
dare  almost  any  risk,  fine,  imprisonment,  po- 
lice surveillance,  and  social  ignominy  to  estab- 
lish and  operate  faro-banks.  "  There's  mil- 
lions in  it!"  A  faro-banker  rents  and  fits  up 
most  expensively,  capacious  and  princely 
rooms.  He  puts  in  appliances  for  gaming 
that  cost  thousands  of  dollars.  He  employs 
dealers,  "  look-outs,"  "  cappers,"  "  pluggers," 
and  numerous  other  assistants.  Often  the 
patrons  of  his  establishment  are  furnished 
with  a  midnight  dinner  at  which  the  choicest 
of  viands  and  potables  are  served  without 
stint.  He  pays  from  one  hundred  to  five 
hundred  a  month  for  "  protection"  to  influ- 
ential local  politicians. 

This  involves  a  royal  outlay.  And  yet  the 
"banker"  is  able  to  purchase  and  own  fast 
horses,  to  build  palatial  houses,  and  to  expend 
hundreds  of  thousands  per  annum  on  his 
mistresses. 

The  people  see  all  this,  they  throng  his 
apartments  under  the  imbecile  impression 
that  the  man  who  is  spending  all  this  money 


228  THE   GAMBLER. 

is  going  to  allow  them  to  win  some  of  it. 
He  cannot  afford  to  give  away  money  ;  he 
needs  all  that  comes  to  him  to  supply  his  com- 
forts, and  to  afford  opportunity  for  extrav- 
agance. 

Does  that  ass,  the  faro-player,  suppose  that 
the  faro-banker  is  going  to  fit  up  sumptuous 
apartments,  give  banquets  and  all  that,  and 
then  allow  the  public  to  win  his  money? 

Lafarge  invited  Paul  Calkins  to  visit  the 
new  bank  without  informing  him  that  he  had 
in  it  a  personal  interest.  The  rooms  were 
newly-furnished,  bright,  attractive,  and  so 
pleased  Paul  that  he  spent  considerable  time 
there,  and  also  gave  the  "  bank"  an  occa- 
sional douceur  of  his  remaining  capital.  At- 
tentive colored  servants  waited  on  the  vis- 
itors ;  there  was  an  ample  supply  of  liquors 
and  cigars  which  was  distributed  with  free- 
dom. Alcohol  is  the  lubricating  material  of 
the  Juggernaut  of  gambling.  Without  it  the 
axles  would  become  rusted,  and  the  machine 
could  not  move. 

Paul  strolled  into  the  den  one  evening  and 
found  Lafarge  reading  a  newspaper.  He 
was  particularly  affable.  He  warmly  shook 
the  hand  of  Paul,  saying : 


THE   GAMBLER.  229 

"Old  fellow,  how  are  you?  I'm  devilish 
glad  to  see  you.  You  are  not  looking  tip-top, 
bj'-the-way  ;  what's  the  matter  ?" 

"  Oh,  nothing  in  particular.  Possibly  too 
much  'budge'  now  and  then,  and  lateness  in 
getting  to  bed  on  an  occasional  night." 

In  fact,  dissipation  was  plainly  recording 
its  advance  on  the  face  of  Paul.  It  had 
grown  much  thinner,  his  eyes  were  percep- 
tibly dulled,  and  an  expression  of  anxiety, 
care,  and  fatigue  had  taken  possession  of  his 
features. 

"  Come  in  the  other  room  and  let's  cheer 
up  with  a  small  bottle." 

The  champagne  was  ordered,  poured  out 
and  drunk. 

"  That  touches  the  exact  spot,''  said  La- 
farge.  "It's  glorious  medicine,  and  I'm  going 
to  try  another  dose.  Here,  boy,  bring  an- 
other bottle,  and  a  quart,  this  time  !" 

The  second  bottle  was  dul}'  opened  and  its 
contents  drained  to  the  bottom.  Paul's  face 
was  flushed,  and  his  eyes  sparkled  with 
excitement  as  they  reached  the  end  of  the 
second  bottle. 

"  We  must  have  a  little  cogniac  to  regu- 
late this  Veuve  Cliquot.     The  widow  may  be 


230  THE    GAMBLER. 

disposed  to  be  fractious  and  uneasy.  A  little 
brandy  will  just  nicely  settle  her,  and  insure 
good  behavior,"  said  Lafarge. 

Two  glasses  of  cogniac  were  brought  and 
swallowed.  Paul's  face  grew  more  crimson, 
and  the  blood  leaped  like  lightning  through 
his  veins. 

"  Let's  take  a  hack  and  drive  around  awhile, 
and  see  what  can  be  seen,"  said  Lafarge,  after 
they  had  finished  their  brandy. 

"  All  right,  my  boy  !"  responded  Paul  with 
a  considerable  thickness  on  his  tongue,  and  a 
slight  inequality  in  his  gait.  They  de- 
scended to  the  street,  hailed  a  passing  hack, 
entered  it  and  drove  away. 

A  few  nights  before  this  meeting,  Lafarge  a 
couple  of  hours  before  midnight  descended 
into  a  basement  saloon  on  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal thoroughfares  in  the  business  portion 
of  the  city.  He  entered  a  spacious  and  irreg- 
ular room  in  which  was  a  bar,  with  its  shin- 
ing furniture  and  its  parti-colored  fluids,  a 
counter  over  which  men  in  white  aprons 
passed  dishes  of  food  in  obedience  to  de- 
mands from  a  half  score  of  busy  waiters;  and 
a  large  number  of  small,  plain  tables  about 
which  were  seated  many  people,  both  men 
and  women. 


THE   GAMBLER.  23  I 

The  men  wore  their  hats,  and  sat,  ate, 
drank,  smoked,  singly  or  in  groups,  in  which 
here  and  there  women  mingled.  There  were 
couples  of  women  seated  alone ;  there  was 
now  and  then  a  solitary  woman  sipping  beer 
at  a  table,  and  evidently  a  stranger,  and 
waiting  for  some  companion. 

It  was  a  fairly  well-dressed  crowd  ;  many 
of  the  men  wore  silk  hats  and  frock  coats, 
with  clean  linen,  while  the  women  were  about 
the  same  class  as  to  clothing.  As  to  other 
qualities,  all  were  young;  that  is  the  major- 
ity of  both  sexes  were  on  the  sunny  side  of 
life.  There  were  two  or  three  quite  young 
girls,  not  yet  out  of  their  teens ;  some  youths 
with  boyish  faces  and  faint  shadings  of  down 
on  their  lip,  and  a  few  specimens  of  elderly 
men  with  red  eyelids  and  locks  of  thin  gray 
hair  showing  under  their  hats. 

Lafarge  took  a  seat  at  a  vacant  table,  called 
for  a  glass  of  beer  and  commenced  sipping  it 
leisurely  as  he  glanced  over  the  assembled 
people.  It  was  a  scene  full  of  a  certain  sort 
of  animation.  There  was  a  steady  flow  of  the 
sound  of  conversation,  over  which  broke 
bursts  of  laughter,  the  clatter  of  glasses,  the 
calls  of  the  waiters  for  drinks  or  food,  and  the 


232  THE   GAMBLER. 

scuffling  of  moving  feet.  Everybody  seemed 
at  fiome  in  his  ease,  and  while  the  men  filled 
the  atmosphere  with  smoke,  apparently  with- 
out thought  that  there  were  women  in  the 
room,  the  latter  inhaled  the  vaporous  fumes 
with  complete  indifference. 

Who  are,  and  whence  come  the  women  in 
this  resort? 

When  the  shadows  of  night  begin  to  settle 
over  the  city,  and  the  light  grows  crepuscular, 
figures  unknown  to  the  day  suddenly  appear 
and  flit  hither  and  thither  along  the  streets. 
Their  movements  are  irregular  ;  they  pass  up 
one  thoroughfare,  down  another,  across,  and 
they  wind  in  and  out.  They  remind  one  of 
the  dimly-visible  bat  whose  erratic  flight  maj^ 
be  detected  in  the  growing  darkness. 

These  figures  with  the  eccentric  movements 
are  alike  in  nothing  save  their  sex  as  women. 
They  are  infinitely  variable  in  appearance, 
dress,  gait,  demeanor,  and  attractiveness. 
They  are  infantile,  mature.  Some  of  them 
have  faces  full  of  charm,  others  are  plain, 
some  repulsive,  and  many  have  the  calloused 
expression  of  countenance  which  comes  from 
contact  with  long  and  painful  experience. 

A  novice  in  city  life  would  not  comprehend 


THE    GAMBLER.  233 

the  character  of  these  persons.  The  stranger 
meets  one,  and  sees,  perhaps,  a  slender  figure 
with  a  modest  face  and  downcast  eyes,  and 
who  walks  with  a  hurried  step.  In  her  hand 
is  a  little  bag  like  that  in  which  the  working- 
girl  carries  her  luncheon ;  she  seems  belated 
as  if  she  had  been  detained  at  shop  or  office, 
and  pushes  swiftly  on  as  if  anxious  to  escape 
notice  and  reach  her  home.  Furtive  glances 
shoot  from  her  downcast  eyes,  and,  as  it  were, 
are  appeals  to  the  grou]3s  of  loungers  on  the 
street-corners  to  respect  her  3'outh,  innocence 
and  unprotected  situation.  She  shrinks  away 
from  contact  with  the  men  gathered  in  front 
of  the  saloons,  as  if  there  were  infection  in 
their  touch. 

If  the  stranger  who  noticed  the  passing  of 
this  home-hurrying  girl,  with  her  modest 
carriage  and  her  timid  glances,  should  happen 
a  little  later  to  stray  from  the  main  street  into 
a  side  one,  where  the  lights  are  dim  and  the 
pedestrians  few,  he  will  notice  a  feminine 
form  strolling  leisurely  along  the  deserted 
sidewalk.  Her  gait  is  dilatory  and  easy  ;  she 
is  apparently  waiting  for  some  one  to  over- 
take her;  and  should  some  man  pass  her  she 
murmurs  softly,  "  Good-evening  !  " 


234  I^^IE   GAMBLER. 

If  the  stranger  should  meet  her  under  the 
gas-hght,  he  will  be  surprised  to  recognize 
the  timid  creature  whom  he  saw  a  few  min- 
utes before,  hurrying  along  the  main  thor- 
oughfare. The  mystery  may  puzzle  him ; 
he  may  return  to  his  country  home  and  never 
be  able  to  explain  the  metamorphosis  of  the 
pretty  shop-girl  with  her  shrinking,  modest 
demeanor  into  the  woman  who  strolled  leis- 
urely along  the  side-street,  and  stared  at  him 
with  brazen  glances  as  he  passed. 

He  will  perb.aps  never  know  that  the  woman 
whom  he  met  is  one  of  the  potent  factors  of 
civilization  ;  that  the  timid  creature  in  the 
Garden  City  is  the  same  as  the  woman,  all 
rouge,  silks,  feathers  and  blasphemy,  in  the 
Strand  and  Haymarket  in  London,  the  trip- 
ping bonne,  or  shy-faced  coufuricre  on  the 
boulevards  of  Paris. 

I  She  is  the  bat,  the  vampire  of  the  woods, 
the  picuvre  of  the  waters,  the  rapacious  beast 
of  the  jungles  of  society.  She  w^as  born  when 
the  world  received  its  supply  of  women. 
She  is  older  than  the  pyramids,  and  she  is 
limited  by  the  extent  of  the  human  race. 
She  and  her  kind  walked  the  streets  of  Athens 
and  Rome  centuries  ago ;  they  were  present 


THE   GAMBLER.  235 

in  Babylon,  Tyre,  Sidon,  and  throughout  the 
orient.  They  have  overspread  China;  they 
abound  in  Japan,  and  the  thousand  isles  of 
the  ocean  are  haunted  b}'  their  presence. 
They  are  in  Thibet,  Madagascar,  India, 
Burmah,  Tonquin;  in  fine,  wherever  there 
is  humanity  to  be  born,  to  labor,  suffer,  weep, 
die,  they  are  to  be  found  without  limit.  . 

Wherever  nigiit  comes,  and  there  is  human 
life,  the  shy  shop-girl,  as  she  appears  on  the 
streets  of  Chicago,  may  be  seen  in  one  guise 
or  another.  She  trips  along  the  highways  of 
the  towns  which  lie  at  the  base  of  the  Him- 
alayas, on  the  borders  of  the  Adriatic,  and  on 
the  vast  levels  of  Asiatic  Russia.  No  climate 
is  too  inhospitable,  for  her  existence;  no  phase 
of  life  too  savage  for  her  endurance.  Each 
night  she  is  hurrying  shyly  home  in  the  dark- 
ness;  each  night  she  idles  in  the  by-places 
and — waits ! 

It  was  this  woman  and  her  sisters  that  sat 
around  the  tables  in  the  saloon  in  the  base- 
ment. 


236  THE   GAMBLER. 


XII. 

MORE   BAIT   OFFERED. 

The  gambler  and  the  courtesan  unite  with 
a  wonderful  affinit}-.  It  may  be  that  this 
comes  from  a  S3'mpathy  in  evil-doing,  or  for 
the  reason  that  both  are  rejected  by  society, 
and  are  thus  driven  into  contact  like  the 
lepers  banished  from  cities  into  some  appointed 
place. 

Some  little  time  after  Lafarge  entered, 
there  came  down  the  stairway  a  young  woman, 
who  glanced  over  the  room,  caught  sight  of 
Lafarge,  recognized  him  with  a  movement  of 
her  eyes,  and  then  seated  herself  beside  him. 

"Good-evening,  Elise,"  said  Lafarge,  with 
a  smile,  as  he  shook  her  gloved  hand.  "  You're 
on  time.     How  have  you  been?" 

"  Pretty  well,  thanks.  I  should  be  entirely 
well  if  I  were  not  so  thirsty  !" 

"  Ah,  pardon  me  !    What  will  it  be?    Beer?" 

"  Not   to-night.       Something    deeper    and 


THE   GAMBLER.  237 

Stronger.  Some  absinthe  and  whisky  would 
about  meet  my  case." 

"  Of  course,  anything  you  like !  Y(Hi  might 
have  a  few  drops  of  aqua  fortis  added  to  the 
whisky  and  absinthe  to  take  off  the  rough 
edges,"  he  said,  with  an  intonation  of  irony. 

"  Don't  try  to  be  sarcastic  !  I  know  what  I 
want,  and  intend  to  have  it !" 

"  Good  enough  !     You  shall  have  it!" 

The  concoction  was  ordered  and  brought, 
and  then  the  young  woman  commenced  sip- 
ping it  with  an  expression  as  if  she  liked  it. 
She  was  a  light  blonde,  about  twenty  years 
of  age,  with  a  voluptuous  figure,  strong 
features  and  cold  gray  eyes.  The  last-named 
retained  none  of  the  modest  light  peculiar  to 
sweet  girlhood ;  they  were  bold,  staring, 
unflinching.  This  chaste  beacon  had  been 
extinguished  by  the  tempests  of  passion  which 
had  already  swept  over  her  young  life. 

The  two  chatted  for  a  few  moments,  and 
then  she  suddenly  said  with  considerable 
sharpness  in  her  tones : 

"  Why  haven't  you  been  to  see  me  for  so 
long  a  time?  It's  years  and  years  since  I 
have  seen  the  light  of  your  ugly  face.'' 

"  I've  been  awfully  busy." 


238  THE   GAMBLER. 

"Oh,  yes,  of  course!  'Busy'  I  suppose, 
with  some  other  woman!"  Her  tone  was 
threatening,  and  her  hard  gray  eyes  blazed 
as  she  spoke. 

"  Honest,  I  have  been  awful  busy.  We 
have  just  got  the  bank  into  operation  and  it 
has  been  a  hard  job.  But  we  are  all  right 
now,  and  we  shall  have  more  time." 

"  So  !  And  how  is  the  '  run  '  of  '  suckers  '  at 
this  season  of  the  year  ?  Is  the  river  full  of 
them  ?'' 

"The  'run'  is  pretty  good,  these  days. 
Judge  !"  and  he  put  his  hand  in  the  pocket  of 
his  vest  and  extracted  a  roll  of  greenbacks. 
"  Here  are  some  specimens  of  the  new 
'  run  ;'  nice  and  fat,  ain't  they  ?  " 

"  My  e3^es  are  weak ;  I  can't  see  them.  I 
can  tell  better  by  feeling  them." 

"  All  right !  Feel  of  them  !"  and  he  threw 
the  roll  into  her  lap.  She  seized  it  with 
something  of  the  swoop  of  the  hawk  on  its 
prey,  and  rapidly  turned  down  the  edges  of 
the  bills  to  note  their  denomination. 

"Nearly  all  centuries!"  she  exclaimed 
rapturously,  as  she  saw  that  the  majority  of 
the  bills  were  each  $100  in  denomination. 
"The  suckers  are  coming  in  !     Many  thanks!" 


THE   GAMBLER.  239 

and  she  lifted  the  skirt  of  her  dress  and 
deposited  the  money  somewhere'  underneath. 

EHse  was  under  the  "protection''  of  La- 
farge.  He  had  met  her  somewhere  a  year 
before,  had  become  smitten  with  her  volup- 
tuous appearance,  and  had  induced  herto  let 
him  provide  for  her.  She  was  not  an  inno- 
cent girl  when  he  first  met  her ;  she  had 
drifted  into  her  present  condition  from  heaven 
only  knows  where,  and  was  adrift  when  he 
encountered  her.  She  lived  in  a  couple  of 
rooms  on  the  upper  fioor  of  a  business  block. 

"  Don't  make  a  pauper  of  me  !"  he  remon- 
strated, as  she  thus  summarily  disposed  of  the 
entire  roll  of  bills.  "  Give  me  a  little  change, 
enough  for  car-fare,  can't  you  ?" 

"Not  a  nickel!  The  walking  is  first-class, 
and  it'll  do  your  legs  good  to  stretch  'em  ! 
Oh,  no  !     Not  a  red  !  " 

"All  right,  keep  it,  but  don't  thro  w^  it  away. 
No  one  knows  what  may  happen," 

"Don't  fret  yourself;  I'm  in  the  'lookout' 
and  nobody  is  going  to  be  robbed  in  the 
game !" 

A  little  later,  he  said  : 

"  I  have  a  friend  who  has  a  '  bundle'  which 
is  worth  picking  up.       Now  I  want  you  to 


240  THE   GAMBLER. 

select  one  of  the  most  taking  girls  among 
your  acquaintances.  .She  must  be  young, 
beautiful,  bright,  fascinating,  and  accom- 
plished !" 

"  Is  that  all  you  want  in  her  ?  I  shall  have 
to  send  up  among  the  angels  for  so  perfect  a 
specimen." 

"  Well,  all  right ;  an  angel  be  it,  but  she 
must  be  a  fallen  one.  As  soon  as  you  find  the 
party  let  me  know.  1  will  then  make  an 
arrangement  to  meet  her  at  your  rooms  in 
company  with  my  friend." 

She  promised  to  find  the  style  of  woman 
wanted.  She  had,  during  the  conversation, 
emptied  several  glasses  of  beer  after  a 
draught  of  whisky  and  absinthe  ;  and  leaning 
on  the  arm  of  Lafarge,  she  left  the  saloon  and 
proceeded  down  the  street  without  exhib- 
iting the  least  evidence  of  intoxication. 

It  was  a  week  or  so  after  this  interview  in 
the  saloon,  that  occurred  the  conversation 
between  Lafarge  and  Paul  Calkins.  The  car- 
riage in  which  they  seated  themselves  drove 
for  some  distance  and  finally  halted  in  front 
of  a  tall  building  whose  street-floor  was 
used  for  shops,  and  whose  upper  floors  were 
occupied  as  residences.  It  was  here  that 
Elise  had  her  apartments. 


THE   GAMBLER.  24I 

"  Come  in  with  me,"  said  Lafarge.  "  I  wish 
to  see  a  friend.     It  wont  take  but   a  minute." 

Paul  went  up  with  him.  Ehse  was  at  home 
and  received  them  very  graciously  in  her 
snug  and  cosy  rooms.  As  they  came  in,  she 
appeared  to  be  greatly  amused  at  something. 

"  Ex'cuse  my  laughing,"  she  giggled,  "  but 
you  nearly  frightened  the  life  and  wits  out  of 
a  friend  of  mine.  She  just  dropped  in  to 
have  a  chat,  and  we  were  not  expecting  any 
one,  and  when  she  heard  your  knock,  she 
thought  it  might  be  some  one  she  did  not 
wish  to  see,  and  in  her  hurry  to  getaway,  she 
fell  over  a  chair,  and  almost  broke  her  neck." 

"  We're  awfully  sorry,  I'm  sure,  to  have 
disturbed  you,  and  especially  to  have  alarmed 
your  friend.  Can  we  'square'  ourselves  in 
any  way  ?" 

"Oh,  it  is  of  no  consequence.  I'll  call  her 
out  and  you  can  settle  with  her  yourself." 

She  went  to  the  door  leading  into  her 
sleeping-room,  opened  it,  and  said: 

"  Here,  Babet,  come  out !  I  have  some  par- 
ticular friends  here,  who  would  like  to  see 
you  and  apologize  fur  frightening  you." 

A  moment  later,  a  young  woman  came  into 
the  room. 
16 


242  THE   GAMBLER. 

"  This  is  Babet,  or  sometimes  known  as 
'  the  Panther.' "  Elise  then  presented  the 
two  men,  giving  the  real  name  of  neither. 

The  new-comer  was  a  figure  to  attract 
attention.  She  was  not  more  than  twenty  in 
years,  with  a  face  as  dark  as  that  of  a  Span- 
iard. Her  eyes  were  large,  black  as  night, 
and  the  iris  so  extended  that  it  frequently 
excluded  the  appearance  of  the  white  portion 
of  the  eye,  giving  her  a  sinister  expression. 
Her  head  was  small,  her  nose  narrow  and 
straight  like  the  Grecian  pattern  ;  her  lips 
were  thin,  her  chin  pointed,  and  her  hair  as 
black  as  her  eyes. 

Her  hands  were  faultless  in  shape,  her 
form  svelte  almost  to  emaciation,  and  yet 
was  proportioned  like  a  statue  from  the  chisel 
of  an  artist.  She  did  not  seem  to  move  by 
steps,  but  came  forward  with  a  species  of 
glide,  something  like  the  stealthy  movements 
of  a  cat. 

She  wore  a  close-fitting  dress  with  a  "pull- 
back"  attachment,  and  which  revealed  every 
motion  and  outline  of  her  form.  The  supple 
movements  of  her  limbs,  the  litheness  which 
seemed  to  pervade  her,  suggested  still  more 
strongly  feline  characteristics,  and  accounted 
for  the  nickname  of  "  The  Panther.'* 


THE   GAMBLER.  243 

At  first  sight,  she  was  not  in  the  least 
attractive  for  beauty  ;  and  yet  as  one  studied 
her,  she  grew  and  expanded  until  she  became 
fascinating.  She  was  a  dark  mystery,  at  first; 
then  she  interested  one  as  one  gazed  into  the 
unfathomable  eyes,  scanned  the  determined 
mouth,  and  watched  the  ceaseless  play  of  her 
form  within  her  constricting  dress.  Her 
voice  was  inexpressibly  melodious,  as  was 
shown  in  the  course  of  the  evening,  when  to 
her  own  accompaniment,  she  sang  an  Italian 
air  from  Traviata,  which  showed  that  she 
possessed  vocal  powers  of  a  high  order. 

She  was  a  marvel  in  many  respects.  She 
used  no  slang;  she  had  evidently  seen  much 
of  the  world,  both  old  and  new,  and  conversed 
intelligently  and  gracefully  on  all  the  topics 
that  came  up  in  the  course  of  the  evening. 
Nothing  in  her  language  or  actions  would 
permit  the  inference  that  she  was  anything 
but  a  woman  of  culture  and  refinement. 

Both  the  visitors  became  especially  inter- 
ested in  her,  which  soon  resulted  in  the 
appearance  of  an  angry  gleam  in  the  eyes,  and 
a  crimson  spot  on  the  cheeks  of  Elise.  There 
was  a  compression  of  her  lips,  as  if  she  were 
restraining  the  outflow  of  something  within, 


244  THE   GAMBLER. 

which  was  struggling-  powerfully  for  exit. 
She  caught  the  eyes  of  Lafarge,  who  glanced 
at  her  curiously  for  a  moment,  and  then  he 
dropped  his  e3'es  with  some  confusion. 

"  None  of  that,  my  friend  !"  she  hissed  a 
little  later,  when  she  could  do  so  without 
attracting  the  notice  of  the  others :  "  None  of 
that,  my  friend,  do  you  understand?"  A 
half-frown  gathered  on  his  forehead,  but  with 
a  smile  intended  to  be  reassuring,  he  answered  : 

"Don't  worry  yourself!  I'm  only  curious. 
She's  a  rattler,  isn't  she  ?  " 

Paul  appeared  as  deeply  interested  in  Babet 
as  his  companion  was.  He  was  3^et  in  the 
condition  of  exhilaration  produced  by  his 
potations  at  the  bank.  Alcoholic  vision 
always  exaggerates;  it  intensifies  the  mys- 
terious, enlarges  beauties  and  defects,  and 
presents  everything  in  some  form  of  ampli- 
fication. 

The  peculiarities  of  Babet,  her  swarthiness, 
her  wonderful  eyes,  her  brightness,  and  her 
entire  unlikeness  to  any  other  woman  whom 
he  had  ever  met,  worked  on  his  excited  fancy 
and  made  of  her  something  possessed  of  mar- 
velous fascinations. 

A  couple  of  hours  later  the  visitors  depart- 


THE   GAMBLER.  245 

ed.  As  they  were  going  away,  Paul  said  to 
Babet : 

"  Shall  I  see  you  again?'' 

"Yes." 

"  Where  and  when?" 

"  I  will  let  you  know.  Good-night,"  and 
she  gave  him  her  hand  which  was  as  soft  as 
that  of  an  infant,  and  but  a  trifle  larger. 

"  Hooked  in  good  shape,  isn't  he?"  asked 
Lafarge,  in  an  aside  to  Elise,  as  they  passed 
along  the  hallway. 

"  Somebody  is  '  hooked  '  beyond  all  doubt!" 
she  answered,  with  a  tinge  of  sarcasm  in  her 
tone.  "Which  'he,'  may  be  a  question. 
Now,"  she  said  in  a  vehement  whisper,  "  just 
you  remember,  I  won't  have  any  nonsense! 
Hands  off!" 

Lafarge  scowled  at  her  as  if  he  would  have 
liked  to  strike  her  in  the  face  with  his  fist, 
but  suppressing  his  anger,  he  responded : 
"You  are  an    idiot!     Don't  fret   yourself!" 

"  Well,  what  do  you  think  of  her?"  asked 
Lafarge,  as  they  rode  away. 

"  Which  '  her?'     Elise  or  The  Panther?" 

"  Oh,  Babet,  of  course  !" 

"  A  very  remarkable  sort  of  a  girl !  I  never 
met  anything  like  her,"  was  the  non-committal 
answer.     "  Who  is  she?" 


246  THE   GAMBLER. 

"  I  can't  say.  I  never  saw  her  before  this 
evening.  She's  Spanish  or  Italian  probably. 
She's  a  thoroughbred,  that's  certain  !'' 

While  the  influence  of  his  intoxication 
remained,  Paul  thought  only  of  the  fascinat- 
ing stranger. 


THE   GAMBLER.  247 


i  XIII. 

i 

!  THE  FISH    IS   LANDED. 

"  Have  you  seen  The  Panther  since  that 
night?'' 

"  No,  have  you  ?" 

"  No." 

"  As  for  me,  I  never  expect  to  see  her 
again.  In  fact,  I  don't  wish  to  see  her.  She 
is,  I  believe,  a  a  dangerous  woman."  Thus 
Paul  to  Lafarge  in  his  sober  moments. 

"  Oh,  bosh  !  You're  off  your  feed  just  now, 
but  you  will  come  around  after  awhile.  I 
was  a  good  deal  struck  myself.  She's  a 
charmer,  but  Elise  is  in  the  '  lookout, '  and  I 
don't  dare  to  try  anything  crooked.  But  you 
are  bound  to  *  go  in'  there.  You  may  kick 
all  you  like,  but  you  can't  help  yourself. 
What  is  to  be  will  be." 

"  Ah,  well,  we  shall  see  !" 

A  week  or  so  after  the  visit  of  the  two  men 
to  the  rooms  of  Elise,  Paul   received  a  note 


248  THE   GAMBLER. 

beautifully  written,  and  whose  contents  were 
as  follows : 

"  If  you  wish  to  renew  an  acquaintance 
which  1,  at  least,  found  to  be  pleasant,  you 
can  see  me  on  Friday  evening  at  1 1  o'clock 
at  the  New  Rest. 

"  Babet." 

He  read  the  missive,  and  for  an  instant  a 
flash  of  his  earlier  manhood  came  over  him. 

"  Infamous  !"  he  ejaculated  ;  "  I  will  not  go  ! 
I  am  already  sunk  in  degradation,  but  there 
are  still  profounder  depths,  and  into  these  I 
shall  not  fall !  Gambler,  drunkard,  defaulter, 
I  will  not  crown  my  infamy  by  deceiving  my 
wife !" 

At  the  hour  named  in  the  note,  Paul  Calkins 
found  himself  seated  in  the  saloon-restaurant 
before  described.  He  was  under  the  influ- 
ence of  stimulants.  He  reasoned  with  him- 
self with  drunken  logic  :  "  There  is  no  harm 
in  going;  nothing  will  come  of  it.  She  wishes 
to  see  me ;  it  may  be  on  some  matters  that 
are  outside  of  evervthing  improper.  There  is 
no  use  in  being  frightened  before  one  is  hurt. 
Assumed  dangers  always  lessen  as  they  are 
approached.  I  will  see,  and  nothing  shall 
come  of  it.     I  can  take  care  of  myself!" 


THE   GAMBLER.  249 

He  had  not  long  to  wait.  The  Panther 
glided  through  the  door-way  as  if  she  were 
as  substanceless  as  a  shadow.  She  caught 
sight  of  Paul  as  by  intuition,  and  then  in  her 
willowy,  indescribable  way,  crossed  the  room, 
and^took  a  seat  by  him  at  a  table. 

"You  are  prompt,"  she  said,  with  a  deli- 
cious smile,  as  she  ungloved  and  laid  her  vel- 
vety hand  in  his  grasp.  "  I  hardly  expected 
that  you  would  come,"  she  continued.  "  You 
saw  so  little  of  me  that — " 

"  I  saw  enough  to  bring  me  here,"  he  inter- 
rupted with  an  attempt  at  gallantry. 

"You  are  polite,"  she  said  with  a  smile  that 
showed  rows  of  teeth  white  and  gleaming  as 
sun-kissed  ivory. 

To  detail  their  conversation  would  be  use- 
less, except  so  far  as  it  may  be  necessary  to 
say  that  during  the  interview  she  dazed  him 
with  her  brilliancy,  her  caressing  glances  and 
gestures,  her  flexible  and  changeful  poses. 

She  drank  only  lemonade,  but  encouraged 
Paul  to  imbibe  something  stronger.  She 
refused  his  escort  from  the  place,  saying  with 
a  mischievous  glance  from  her  great  eyes  : 

"  I'm  not  sure  yet  that  I  can  trust  you.  PU 
have  to  see  you  again.     I  have  but  a  step  to 


250  THE   GAMBLER. 

go,  and  I  can  take  the  street-cars  as  well  as 
not.  Good-night !"  she  said,  as  she  beckoned 
a  passing  horse-car,  and  a  moment  later  dis- 
appeared. 

Her  refusal  to  permit  him  to  escort  her 
piqued  him,  and  increased  his  interest  in  the 
mysterious  creature.  She  had  given  him 
nothing  of  her  life,  her  occupation,  or  her 
purposes,  during  their  conv^ersation.  She 
had  apparently  limited  herself  to  exciting  his 
curiosity,  and  then  in  baffling  it.  This  treat- 
ment had  the  effect  to  stimulate  his  interest 
in  her,  and  induce  him  to  wish  to  see  her 
again.  As  usual  in  the  case  of  men,  the 
obstacles  thrown  in  his  way  by  Babet,  only 
stimulated  the  pursuit. 

During  the  next  few  weeks,  notes  from 
Babet  summoned  him  to  meet  her  at  the 
same  place.  He  resisted  less  and  less,  and 
each  time  he  went  more  willingly,  and  left 
her  more  fascinated  than  before.  She  was 
irresistible  in  her  melodious  voice,  in  her 
caressing  manners,  and  the  glances  of  her 
marvelous  eyes.  Her  touch  thrilled  him, 
and  went  shivering  along  his  nerver. 

At  last,  one  evening  when  she  was  about 
to  leave,  he  implored  her  to  allow  him  to 
accompany  her. 


THE   GAMBLER.  25 1 

"Come!"  she  s'mply  said.  He  went  with 
her,  his  brain  on  fire,  and  his  heart  throbbing 
with  violence. 

As  they  left  the  restaurant  they  did  not 
notice  Lafarge  who  sat  in  an  obscure  corner, 
and  watched  them  with  angry  eyes. 

"  Strange,"  he  soliloquized,  "  how  this 
country-devil  eternally  crosses  my  path! 
He  interfered  with  me  in  the  case  of  the  type- 
writing girl,  for  which  I  will  never  forgive 
him.  And  now  when  1  have  worked  to  get 
him  in  the  hands  of  a  woman  who  will  utterly 
destroy  him,  and  have  succeeded,  I  find  that 
I  am  jealous  of  him  !  He  seems  to  have  inter- 
ested her ;  she,  a  woman  who  would  see  her 
mother  on  the  rack  without  a  particle  of 
sympathy  ;  she,  who  is  soulless  and  heartless, 
and  who  has  plundered  and  sent  more  men  to 
the  devil  than  any  other  hundred  of  her  kind! 
I  hate  him  all  the  more  for  her  favor  to  him. 
He  has  run  up  a  heavy  account,  and  the  day 
of  settlement  is  not  far  away!  That  she- 
fiend  will  hurry  up  the  end." 

Impossible  as  it  may  seem  to  the  decent 
soul,  the  degrading  fact  nevertheless  exists, 
that  innumerable  men  have  special  relations 
with  courtesans  who  are  inmates  of  infamous 


252  THE   GAMBLER. 

houses.  It  is  often  the  case  that  the  woman 
is  the  victim  of  some  man,  who,  unable  or 
unwilling  to  support  her,  sends  her  to  a 
bagnio  where  she  earns  her  livelihood 
through  the  prosecution  of  her  nefarious  pro- 
fession. 

Meanwhile  she  claims  the  man  to  whom 
her  downfall  was  due,  or  some  other  man  to 
whom  she  has  taken  a  fancy,  for  her  lover. 
He  visits  her  as  such,  is  so  accepted  by  the 
other  inmates.  Strangely  enough,  they  have 
their  jealousies,  and  their  disagreements. 
She  resents  the  slightest  attention  he  may 
pay  to  any  other  woman,  and  is  constantly 
on  the  watch  to  learn  of  any  infidelity  on  his 
part. 

If  she  discovers  that  he  is  unfaithful  to  her, 
she  experiences  all  the  agony,  the  rage  of  a 
virtuous  woman,  under  similar  circumstances. 
She  weeps,  she  raves,  blasphemes,  and  not 
unfrequently  ends  her  life  with  poison  to 
relieve  her  sufferings. 

Meanwhile,  in  addition  to  his  fealty  he  is 
expected  to  contribute  to  her  liberal  sums  of 
money.  These  she  keeps,  expends  to  suit  her 
necessities  or  her  whims,  and  often  stands 
ready  to  "  stake  "   her  lover  in  case   he  meets 


THE   GAMBLER.  253 

with  financial  misfortune.  Indeed,  there  are 
many  of  these  women  who  not  only  do  not 
receive  a  cent  from  their  lovers,  but  actually 
furnish  the  money  to  support  them. 

Fancy  the  ineffable  degradation  of  the 
masculine  wretch  who  thus  lives  on  the  earn- 
ings of  a  woman's  shame !  Can  there  be  any- 
thing more  revolting,  more  disgusting,  more 
damnable  than  the  character  and  the  life  of 
these  male  dependents  on  the  bounty  of  a 
prostitute  ? 

There  are  other  women  of  this  class  whose 
sole  purpose  is  to  secure  all  the  gifts  possible 
from  their  victims.  To  meet  the  demands  of 
these  cormorants,  more  crimes  are  conceived 
and  carried  into  effect,  than  from  all  other 
motives.  The  first  movement  of  the  burglar, 
the  foot-pad,  the  sneak-thief,  is  to  go  and  lay 
the  spoils  of  his  crime  in  the  lap  of  his 
favorite. 

It  was  the  influence  of  one  of  these  women 
that  Lafarge,  through  Elise,  had  invoked  to 
put  the  finishing  touches  to  the  ruin  of  Paul 
Calkins. 

More  than  any  other  class  of  men,  gam- 
blers sustain  intimate  relations  with  lewd 
women.  In  truth,  gambling,  drunkenness  and 
libidinousness  are  inseparable. 


PART  THIRD. 


1. 

THE   BEAUTIFUL  AND  THE  VILE. 

Five  years  had  elapsed  between  the  date  of 
Eleanor's  marriage  and  the  events  just 
recorded.  Her  baby  had  grown  into  a  little 
fairy,  full  of  vivacity,  sweetness  and  affec- 
tion, whose  prattle  was  ceaseless,  and  a  source 
of  constant  enjoyment  to  the  mother. 

The  child  filled  the  place  vacated  by  Paul 
in  the  household.  Its  voice  broke  a  silence 
that  otherwise  would  have  been  intolerable, 
and  supplied  a  companionship  which  the 
father  had  ceased  to  furnish.  As  he  receded 
the  child  advanced,  and  thus  prevented  that 
vacuum  in  the  soul  of  Eleanor  which  the 
situation  would  have  created 

Paul  now  came  home  but  little,  and  had 
ceased  to  offer  excuses  for  his  absences.  He 
had  grown  moody,  irritable,  and  savagely  ill- 
255 


256  THE   GAMBLER. 

natured.  He  was  silent  and  sullen  when  he 
was  at  home,  and  his  presence  oppressed  the 
atmosphere  till  it  almost  choked  his  wife  to 
inhale  it.  She  no  longer  asked  him  concern- 
ing his  business,  his  outgoing  or  incomings, 
his  purposes,  or  his  prospects.  In  fact,  she 
saw  but  very  little  of  him.  If  he  came  home 
at  all  it  was  always  long  after  midnight,  and 
often  was  it  that  he  did  not  return  for  several 
days. 

On  such  occasions,  when  the  night  was  far 
advanced  and  he  did  not  come,  she  drew  her 
child  closer  to  her  heart,  and  with  a  half-whis- 
pered prayer  to  heaven  for  protection,  and  a 
gentle,  regretful  sigh,  she  sank  into  peace- 
ful sleep. 

"  Sweet,  do  you  love  mamma  ?"  as  she  laid 
her  cheek  against  that  of  the  babe,  and  the 
almost  unconscious  reply,  "  Yes,  Mamma!" 
often  was  heard  in  the  stillness  of  the  night, 
and  afforded  a  consolation  of  inexpressible 
sweetness. 

Her  life  had  become  an  isolated  one.  The 
large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances 
.which  surrounded  her  at  the  time  of  her  mar- 
riage had  gradually  been  alienated.  The 
habits  of  her  husband   prevented  the  return- 


THE   GAMBLER.  257 

ing-  of  evening  visits,  and  slowly  her  call- 
ing acquaintances  drifted  away.  And  then 
rumors  began  to  circulate  that  Paul  was 
gambling,  and  this  frightened  others  of  the 
few  that  remained. 

Eleanor  felt  the  slight  involved,  but  not 
keenl}^ ;  she  was  too  proud  to  be  hurt  by  this 
disaffection. 

"  I,  at  least,  have  not  changed,"  she  thought. 
"  If  they  really  cared  for  me,  now  is  the  time 
when  they  would  show  it.  They  are  fair 
weather  friends  only,  and  I  shall  not  grieve 
that  they  are  leaving  me." 

"  We  must  cut  down  expenses,"  growled 
Paul  one  day  after  he  had  risen  from  a 
drunken  sleep.  His  voice  was  husky,  his  eyes 
bloodshot,  his  brows  knitted  with  pain,  and  his 
features  contracted  with  nervous  irritation. 
"  Business  has  all  gone  to  the  devil !  Nothing 
prospers  with  me  !     I  am  evidently  accursed." 

"  I  am  so  sorry  !"  said  his  wife  in  a  sooth- 
ing and  sympathetic  voice.  "  PU  do  any- 
thing I  can.     What  can  we  do?" 

"  Pm  sure  I  don't  know,"  he  said,  "  unless 
we  move  into  less  expensive  quarters." 
Eleanor  cheerfully  agreed  to  adopt  the  sug- 
gestion, and  that  same  day,  after  scanning 
17 


258  THE   GAMBLER. 

the  advertisements  in  the  newspapers,  she 
commenced  her  rounds,  and  in  a  couple  of 
days  managed  to  secure  smaller  apartments 
in  a  less  fashionable  quarter,  at  about  one- 
half  the  expense  of  their  first  location. 

Into  these  rooms  their  furniture  was  soon 
moved,  and  again  they  began  housekeeping 
on  a  level  far  below  that  on  which  they  first 
started.  There  was  no  one  to  bid  them  good- 
bye as  they  left  their  pleasant  home.  Helen 
Jackson  was  on  a  visit  to  the  East,  and  her 
mother  had  been  dead  some  years. 

That  Eleanor  left  the  beautiful  rooms  in 
which  she  was  married,  in  which  her  baby 
was  born,  without  regret,  is  not  probable,  but 
she  made  no  sign.  She  entered  the  new 
rooms  as  cheerfully  as  if  they  had  been  in  a 
palace,  and  resumed  ever3^day  life  with  her 
old  courage  and  her  usual  smiling  face. 

In  one  respect  her  feelings  toward  her  hus- 
band had  changed.  The  ardent  love  which 
had  followed  her  wedding,  had  almost  com- 
pletely disappeared.  She  occuped  a  sepa- 
rate sleeping-room,  and  no  longer  kissed  him 
as  he  went  to  and  from  their  home. 

"  He  is  no  more  mv  lover,"  she  reflected, 
"  he  is  my  friend.     He  respects  me  ;  he  is  the 


THE   GAMBLER.  259 

victim  of  his  surroundings.  He  has  the  same 
qualities  that  he  had  when  our  friendship  was 
first  established,  but  they  have  been  paralyzed. 
They  are  not  obliterated.  The  extinction  of 
the  immortal  is,  of  course,  impossible;  our 
friendship  was  spiritual,  and  the  spiritual  can- 
not die. 

"  His  love  for  me  was  earthly,  constructed  of 
ephemeral  passions  which  die  when  their 
purpose  is  gratified.  As  his  friend  I  shall 
cHng  to  him,  labor  for  him,  and  save,  or,  if 
necessary,  die  with  him." 

Paul  saw  the  chasm  that  was  rent  between 
them,  and  he  never  dared  to  attempt  to  cross 
it.-  Even  in  his  degradation,  he  was  able  to 
feel  that  an  impassable  distance  had  come 
between  them,  and  would  remain  for  all  time. 
He  knew  that  she  made  a  distinction  between 
his  spiritual  and  animal  self ;  and  that  she 
held  to  the  one  and  rejected  the  other. 

However,  these  thoughts  were  not  very  dis- 
tinct in  the  mind  of  Paul.  It  was  rather  in  the 
nature  of  a  dim  impression  that  he  had  lost 
her  affections.  His  pursuits  enthralled  all 
his  thoughts.  Gaming  and  the  gratification  of 
his  affection  for  the  courtesan  who  had 
enmeshed  him,  absorbed  his  attention.     The 


26o  THE   GAMBLER. 

transitory  nature  of  what  is  known  as  love 
was  shown  in  his  case  by  the  comparative 
ease  with  which  he  transferred  it  from  a 
woman  pure,  beautiful,  spiritual,  to  one 
unchaste,  a  social  outcast,  and  a  crealure  of 
immeasurable  wickedness. 

Let  us,  for  a  moment,  contrast  the  surround- 
ings of  the  two  women. 

In  an  humble  room,  in  a  rocking-chair, 
engaged  in  some  needle-work,  sits  Eleanor, 
She  has  divested  herself  of  the  dress  worn  dur- 
ing the  day,  and  has  thrown  around  her  form  a 
wrapper  of  some  gray  material  which  har- 
monizes with  her  exquisite  complexion,  and 
which,  soft  and  yielding,  clings  to  her  figure 
in  its  statuesque  outlines.  Her  masses  of 
purple-black  hair  pour  down  her  back  and 
over  her  shoulders,  restrained  only  by  a  band 
of  blue  ribbon. 

Beside  her  is  a  small  couch  beneath  whose 
snowy  covering  is  revealed  the  delicate  form 
of  a  child.  It  rests  on  its  side,  with  its  face 
turned  toward  the  mother.  The  right  hand 
is  under  tlie  cheek,  and  the  left  arm  is  thrown 
carelessly  on  the  white  cover  which  it  rivals 
in  its  purity.  Heavy  locks  of  hair  color  the 
pillow  with  the  lich  hue  of  gold.     The  long 


THE   GAMBLER.  261 

lashes  recline  on  the  cheek  and  afford  a  relief 
to  its  diaphanous  white.  A  soft  crimson  has 
touched  the  face  and  a  scarlet  hue  paints  the 
slightly  parted  lips.  It  is  an  exquisite  picture, 
that  of  the  babe,  softened  by  the  lamp  so 
shaded  as  to  screen  the  face  from  the  bright 
light;  a  living  picture  mellowed  by  sleep, 
and  with  its  suggestions  of  life  in  the  coming 
and  going  of  the  just-perceptible  breath. 

Around  both  these  charming  features  there 
is  an  atmosphere  of  gentleness  and  purity. 
The  infant,  in  its  calm  slumber,  is  an  expres- 
sion of  supreme  repose,  and  trust  in  the  guar- 
dianship of  the  mother. 

The  countenance  of  the  latter  is  glorified 
with  the  light  of  maternal  love.  Her  violet 
eyes  wander  now  and  then  to  the  countenance 
of  the  slumbering  child,  and  are  softened  with 
an  expression  of  divine  tenderness.  Her  lips 
move  slightly  at  these  moments  ;  she  probably 
murmurs  a  prayer  for  the  life  and  happiness 
of  her  darling. 

In  another  room  in  another  part  of  the 
city,  at  the  same  hour  of  the  evening,  there 
is  another  scene.  It  is  a  vast  drawing  room 
in  whose  furnishing  no  money  has  been 
spared.     There   are   gorgeously-framed    pic- 


262  THE    GAMBLER. 

tures,  rich  gilding-,  mahogany  panels,  thick 
carpets,  an  ornate  piano,  chandeliers  shim- 
mering with  gold  ti'immings,  and  sofas  and 
chairs  with  coverings  of  resplendent  colors. 

The  view  is  rich  beyond  comparison,  but 
suggestive  of  gaudiness,  and  over-decoration. 
The  pictures  are  coarse  daubs  of  colors  and 
licentious  in  their  themes.  The  material  of 
the  room  is  tawdry,  oppressive,  vulgar. 

But  the  attention  attracted  to  the  furnishing 
of  the  apartment  lingers  but  a  moment  on  the 
inanimate  objects,  and  hastens  unavoidably  to 
scan  its  living  inmates.  They  are  mostly 
women.  They  recline  on  the  highly-colored 
sofas  or  sit  in  the  chairs  and  outshine  in  their 
apparel,  and  their  cheeks,  the  most  flaunting 
bedizenings  of  the  decorations.  Clad  in  the 
brightest  of  silks  and  velvets,  with  their  fingers 
glittering  with  gems,  their  ears  carrying 
priceless  diamonds,  their  long  trains  reaching 
far  out  on  carpets,  their  lace-trimmings,  and 
their  innumerable  other  articles  of  dress  and 
ornament,  dazzle  one  like  a  sudden  glance  at 
a  noonday  sun,  kaleidoscopic  in  its  hues. 

With  all  their  abundance  of  dress,  they  are 
but  barely  clad.  The  waists  of  the  robes  are 
shorn  far  dow^n,  revealing  the  greater  portion 


THE   GAMBLER.  263 

of  the  naked  bust ;  and  their  arms  are  bared 
to  their  shoulders.  Their  cheeks  are  flaming 
with  rouge,  their  brows  are  heightened  with 
pigments;  their  eyeUds  are  stained  to  give  a 
languisliing  expression  to  their  eyes,  and  their 
lips  are  colored  till  they  are  inflammatory 
crimson. 

Notwithstanding  the  coarse  attempts  with 
colors  to  plant  roses  on  their  cheeks,  the  col- 
lection might  be  beautiful  and  artistic  were 
it  snnply  considered  with  reference  to  form 
and  nudity.  With  their  faces  veiled,  they 
would  constitute  a  group  instinct  with  beauty. 
The  feminine  form,  in  its  natural  outlines,  is 
the  most  attractive  and  admirable  thing  in 
creation. 

But  the  faces  destroy  the  momentary  illu- 
sion. They  are  repulsive  without  exception, 
and  the  knowledge  that  the  exposure  of  form 
is  to  simply  stimulate  the  grossest  passions, 
and  not  to  please  the  artistic  eye,  at  once  de- 
prives the  exhibition  of  all  charm. 

It  is  one  of  these  semi-nude  creatures,  with 
garish  dress,  painted  cheeks,  vermilion  lips 
and  pencilled  eyebrows  that  has  won  the  love 
of  Paul  Calkins. 

Several  men  are  present  who  sit  with  their 


264  THE   GAMBLER. 

hats  on  their  heads,  cigars  in  their  mouths, 
and  glasses  of  champagne  at  their  elbows. 
They  are  all  more  or  less  intoxicated,  for  no 
man  patronizes  one  of  these  infernos  when  in 
his  sober  mind.  Some  of  them  sit  in  the  laps 
of  the  women.  The  eyes  of  the  latter  blaz- 
ing with  effrontery,  stare  the  men  in  the  face, 
and  they  essay  by  their  lascivious  caresses  to 
rouse  the  passions  of  their  visitors.  Coarse, 
equivocal  and  direct  expressions  of  lewdness 
flow  from  their  lips.  There  is  not  a  shy  look, 
a  modest  feature  in  any  of  the  painted  faces. 
Even  the  very  atmosphere  of  the  room  has  a 
flavor  of  carnality,  and  so  to  speak,  is  a  vile 
lubricity  on  tongue  and  palate. 

In  another  room,  nearly  as  spacious  as  the 
one  just  described,  a  half  dozen  female  occu- 
pants lounge  about,  pose,  attitudinize,  dress, 
and  in  every  possible  w^ay  endeavor  to  imitate 
their  white  sisters.  They  are  negresses,  jet 
black,  with  bared  bosoms.  Their  natural  wool 
is  clipped  from  their  heads,  and  wigs  of  black 
hair,  coarse  as  the  mane  of  a  horse,  cover 
their  heads. 

White  men  mingle  with  them  ;  the  cham- 
pagne circulates,  and  ribald  conversation 
abounds ;  lascivious  gestures  are  to  be  seen ; 


THE   GAMBLER.  265 

and  in  short,  this  room  is  the  black  counter- 
part of  the  other,  only  differing  in  the  hue  of 
its  inmates. 

It  is  the  house  occupied  by  Natalie,  "The 
Ogress.'' 

Such  the  conglomerate  stew,  the  home  of 
miscegenation,  the  perpetual  abode  of  unchas- 
tity  and  all  foulness,  in  which  resides  the  new 
love  of  Paul  Calkins.  Compare  it  for  a  mo- 
ment with  the  purity,  the  simplicity,  the  ex- 
quisite charm  of  the  home  of  the  old  love,  in 
which  are  Eleanor  and  her  baby  ! 


266  THE   GAMBLER. 


II. 

A   STREAK   OF   LUCK. 

The  Hawk  club  began  to  "come  to  grief." 
One  or  two  of  the  "  tough"  element  com- 
mitted suicide  ;  there  were  two  or  three  shoot- 
ing occurrences  among  the  waiters  who  had 
become  demoralized  by  the  example  of  a  por- 
tion of  the  white  membership  ;  and  at  last 
the  club  went  out  of  business  on  the  occur- 
rence of  the  cold-blooded  assassination  of  a 
Hawk  by  his  mistress. 

It  was  then  that  Paul  Calkins  lost  what  had 
been  his  home.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  sleep- 
ing at  the  club  after  being-  worn  out  by  long 
sessions  at  the  poker-table,  and  when  the  club 
was  closed  permanently  for  repairs,  he 
drifted  to  the  faro-dens  and  became  a  regular 
habitue  of  these  places.  Occasionally  he 
went  to  his  own  house,  but  it  was  only  at 
long  intervals.  His  infatuation  for  gaming 
had  alienated  his  affection  for  his  domestic 
life. 


THE  c;ambler.  267 

At  tliis  period  he  had  substantially  ex- 
hausted his  fortune,  and  was  on  the  eve  of 
becoming  penniless  when  there  came  West 
Mrs.  Calkins,  his  mother.  The  old  lady  had 
determined  to  visit  the  great  West  and  see 
her  eldest  son  once  more  before  she  joined 
Mr.  Calkins  in  his  long-  sleep  in  the  church- 
yard in  Slaughter  Hollow. 

She  was  gladly  received  by  Eleanor,  who 
was  delighted  to  have  some  company  in  her 
loneliness.  The  old  lady  staid  some  months, 
during  which  she  saw  but  little  of  Paul,  who 
was  so  "  engaged  in  business"  that  he  found 
time  only  occasionally  to  visit  his  own  home. 

"  It's  very  sing'lar,''  said  the  old  lady,  "  that 
a  man  should  work  himself  out  of  house  and 
home  for  the  sake  of  gittin'  a  home.  Paul  is 
lookin'  real  peaked,  and  he'll  kill  hisself  if  he 
don't  take  more  rest." 

She  always  concluded  this  class  of  remarks 
by  recommending  the  use  of  certain  roots 
and  '•  yerbs"  by  Paul  to  brace  up  his  consti- 
tution, and  whose  value  she  illustrated  by  the 
cases  of  Nancy  Syms,  and  Deacon  Boggins 
who  had  used  these  remedies  and  had  recov- 
ered their  health  after  "  bein'  giv  up  by  the 
doctors.'" 


268  THE    GAMBLER. 

The  kind  old  lady  took  a  great  liking  to 
the  little  girl,  Aline,  her  only  grandchild, 
and  who  conceived  an  equally  strong  attach- 
ment for  the  visitor.  The  grandmother  iiad 
wonderful  stories  to  tell  the  child  of  country 
life;  about  a  "painter"  which  her  grand- 
mother had  met  in  the  woods  one  day  when 
going  to  drive  up  the  cows  ;  about  how,  when 
she  was  a  little  girl,  she  fell  into  a  goose-pen 
and  was  nibbled  and  pecked  almost  to  death 
by  the  naughty  "gooses;"  and  about  a  won- 
derful dog  that  they  once  had  that  pulled  her 
out  of  the  mill-pond  when  she  was  a  "  little  bit 
of  a  tinty-taunty  girl !" 

All  these  wonderful  narrations,  and  others, 
including  a  muley  cow  that  "  bunted  jest  aw- 
ful," and  was  the  "  most  viciousest  creature 
you  ever  seen,"  and  the  phenomenal  cat 
that  would  "  suckaigs,"  and  whip  all  the  "  na- 
borin'  dawgs  quicker'n  you  could  say  scat ;" 
and  others  so  interested  the  little  Aline  that 
she  twined  her  arms  about  the  nice  old  lady, 
and  pronounced  her  the  "darlinest  old  danma 
that  ever  was." 

One  of  the  results  of  this  association  was 
that  just  before  she  concluded  her  visit  to 
the  West,  she  took  Paul  aside  one   day  when 


THE   GAMBLER.  269 

she  happened  to  find  him  at  home,  and  an- 
nounced to  him  that  she  had  concluded  to 
give  him  five  thousand  dollars  which  he  was 
to  invest  for  Aline  to  remain  at  interest  until 
she  was  eighteen,  and  then  be  given  her  with 
her  grandma's  blessing. 

The  money  was  forwarded  immediately  on 
her  arrival  at  her  Eastern  home.  In  addition 
to  this  amount,  she  sent  an  equal  amount 
which  she  asked  Paul  to  invest  for  her  in 
Western  lands  or  other  securities.  In  her 
letter  she  wrote  : 

"  I  heard  from  a  Boston  man  whom  I  saw 
on  the  cars  that  everybody  in  his  part  of  the 
country  who  has  a  thousand  dollars  to  spare, 
sends  it  West  where  it  draws  a  bigger  inter- 
est. I  can  spare  five  thousand  dollars  for 
investment  on  my  own  account.  By  econ- 
omy I  can  live  on  the  rest  of  my  money ;  and 
if  nothing  happens  when  I  get  through  with 
it  all,  I  may  give  the  money  invested  for  me, 
to  Aline,  besides  the  amount  of  which  1  now 
make  her  a  present  of." 

For  sometime  before  the  reception  of  the 
mone}^  Paul  had  been  reduced  to  substantial 
penury.  He  had  not  even  a  dollar  of  his 
own.     In  this  strait,  he  lived    by   borrowing. 


270  THE   GAMBLER. 

Many  of  his  old  acquaintances  did  not  know 
of  his  actual  condition,  and  I'eadily  responded 
when  he  asked  them  for  five  or  a  ten,  as  he 
"  had  left  home  without  his  wallet."  All 
these  loans  he  regularly  carried  to  the  faro- 
bank,  and  lost.  Once  in  a  thousand  times,  he 
would  closean  evening  by  winning  a  few  dol- 
lars, the  most  of  which  he  at  once  gave  to 
Babet,  and  a  few  dollars  to  Eleanor  for  house- 
hold expenses. 

The  arrival  of  the  drafts  from  the  East  for 
ten  thousand  dollars  was  at  a  moment  when 
he  was  at  the  end  of  his  resources.  Babet 
was  menacing  him  with  disfavor,  and  cursing 
his  stinginess. 

"1  have  none  for  to-night,"  he  would  answer, 
when  with  outstretched  palm  she  would  greet 
him   with  : 

"  Give  me  a  fifty  ;  I  must  have  a  new  hat !" 

"  Wait  a  day  or  two ;  I  have  had  awful 
luck !  It  must  turn  some  day.  It  can't 
always  last !" 

"  Ah,  you  are  lying !  You  deceive  me ! 
You  men  always  have  money,  and  if  you 
haven't  got  it,  you  know  how  to  get  it.  Go 
way  !     I've  no  use  for  a  pauper  !" 

Abashed  by  her  vehemence,  and  the  sharp 


THE   GAMBLER.  271 

glances  of  her  angry  eyes,  Paul  would  humbly 
sa}' : 

"  Don't  be  impatient !  You  shall  have  some 
to-morrow."     And  then  he  would  slink  away. 

It  was  on  one  of  these  occasions  when  Babet 
had  been  more  than  usually  importunate  for 
money,  that  the  drafts  came  from  his  mother. 
His  heavy  heart  at  once  became  lighter. 

"  I  will  give  Babet  a  nice  little  present,  and 
then  I'll  set  aside  a  small  sum  which  I  can  use 
against  the  bank.  I  can  replace  it  all  in  a 
week!  I'm  sure  to  win.  Luck  must  change! 
It  can't  forever  run  against  me." 

Innumerable  are  the  occasions  on  which 
this  same  style  of  reason  has  done  duty  for 
the  trusted  employe  who  has  become  infatu- 
ated with  gambling  !  He  has  lost  enough  of 
his  own  money  to  cramp  him  for  the  moment, 
and  then  he  lays  his  hands  on  funds  belonging 
to  his  employers. 

"  I'll  just  borrow  this  for  to-night,  and  will 
replace  it  to-morrow.  What,  Conscience,  you 
tell  me  this  is  theft?  You  lie!  It  is  only  a 
loan.  Nobody  will  miss  it,  and  its  use  for  one 
night  will  not  in  the  least  harm  its  owners  !  " 

Constantly  he  loses ;  but  he  must  win  in 
the  end,   soon,  and   he   will  borrow   a  little 


272  THE   GAMBLER. 

more  from  the  employer's  safe.  Deeper  and 
deeper  he  sinks  in  the  mire ;  the  cash-book  is 
doctored,  and  for  a  time,  discovery  is  averted. 
Nevertheless,  exposure  comes,  and  the  rob- 
ber either  flees  to  Canada,  or  is  arrested,  con- 
victed, and  sent  to  the  penitentiary. 

It  is  one  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  gamb- 
ling habit  that  it  thus  lures  its  victim  on  with 
promises  of  success.  It  makes  downright 
theft  seem  a  simple  loan.  It  assures  him  that 
no  harm  can  come,  for  good  luck  at  the  bank, 
the  wheel,  or  the  poker-table  will  certainly 
bring  him  out  of  the  furnace  unscathed  by 
flame  or  smoke. 

Babet  received  her  "  nice  little  present," 
which  she  accepted  with  the  ferocious  shrieks 
of  the  delight  of  a  panther  as  it  pounces  on  a 
tender,  juicy  lamb.  A  smaller  portion  was 
handed  over  to  Eleanor  for  household  and 
personal  expenses.  Her  share  was  much  less 
than  that  given  to  Babet,  but  she  received  it 
with  thanks,  and  made  no  complaint. 

And  now  Paul  gave  himself  up  to  the  labor 
of  winning  back  the  amounts  he  had  bor- 
rowed from  the  funds  sent  him  by  his  mother. 
He  came  for  a  brief  period  out  of  the  de- 
spondency which  had  constantly  possessed 
him. 


THE   GAMBLER.  273 

"  I  think,''  he  said  to  his  wife,  "  that  things 
are  going  to  be  better.  I've  invested  the 
money  for  Aline  in  a  government  bond,  and 
that  sent  me  by  my  mother  I  shall  soon  find 
opportunity  to  place  on  some  good  land 
security  at  a  fine  per  cent."  He  went  away 
with  something  on  his  face  the  nearest  ap- 
proach to  a  smile  that  Eleanor  had  seen  for 
many  months.  He  even  noticed  Aline  a  lit- 
tle, and  patted  her  on  the  head  and  called  her 
a  "good  little  girl,"  whereat  Aline  did  not 
seem  to  know  whether  to  be  pleased  or 
frightened. 

For  a  few  months  he  had  a  "  streak  of 
luck.''  He  won  some  small  amounts  and  was 
elated  to  the  very  skies.  Luck  had  at  last 
turned  ;  "  it  was  coming  his  way  ;"  there  were 
stories  current  among  the  players,  of  Bill 
Tarvish,  who  had  won  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars  at  a  sitting;  why  should  he  not  have 
the  same  good  fortune?  He  would  have  it; 
he  knew  he  would  ;  he  had  a  "  hunch  "  that  it 
was  coming. 

One  night  he  sat  down  to  play  faro,  and 

won  at  the  outset.     "  Everything    came    his 

way."     He  felt  that  this  was  his  opportunity, 

and  he  would  push  it  to  the  utmost.     He  did, 

18 


274  THE   GAMBLER. 

and  staked  the  largest  bets  allowed  by  the 
game,  and  won  until  he  had  before  him  win- 
nings to  the  amount  of  three  thousand 
dollars. 

Ah,  fortune  had  at  last  come  to  his  relief ! 
He  had  three  thousand,  and  he  would  make 
it  ten  thousand,  or  all  that  the  bank  had  in  its 
roll. 

Alas,  he  had  reached  the  climax  of  his  good 
fortune.  As  so  often  happens,  luck  took  a 
sudden  turn,  and  he  descended  with  greater 
rapidity  than  he  had  risen.  He  lost  all  his 
winnings  and  a  thousand  dollars  more.  The 
reaction  nearly  cost  him  his  life.  His  heart 
beat  like  a  trip-hammer ;  the  blood  surged 
into  his  brain  in  torrents,  and  overwhelmed 
him  with  its  rush  and  roar.  His  vision  grew 
clouded,  his  legs  weak,  his  head  dizzy,  and  he 
believed  that  he  was  dying. 

A  glass  of  whisky  was  handed  him  by  some 
one  who  saw  his  distress.  He  swallowed  the 
liquid,  and  then  rose  and  reeled  from  the 
room. 

"  He's  hit  purty  hard,  I  reckon,''  remarked  a 
man  at  the  table,  as  he  availed  himself  of  the 
little  confusion  of  the  incident  to  pick  up  a 
"  sleeper"  which  somebody   had   overlooked. 


THE   GAMBLER.  275 

"  He  aint  got  no  '  sand,'  that's  certing,"  re- 
marked another  player,  a  cattle-dealer  from 
Montana,  "and  he'd  better — who  in  — — 
'  pinched  '  that  bet  on  the  queen  ?" 

The  gentleman  who  had  "  pinched  "  the  bet 
declined  to  make  himself  known,  and  after 
much  cursing  on  the  part  of  the  Montana  man 
directed  at  loafers,  tramps  and  thieves  who 
managed  to  smuggle  themselves  into  a  "  gen- 
tleman's game,"  the  deal  went  on,  and  Paul 
and  his  losses  were  forgotten. 

It  may  be  mentioned  that  at  the  point  in 
the  game  when  Paul  reached  the  maximum 
of  his  winnings,  something  went  wrong  with 
the  "  box"  from  which  the  cards  were  being 
dealt.  Some  considerable  effort  was  made  to 
fix  it,  but  without  success.  The  players  be- 
came impatient  at  the  delay. 

"  Get  another  box  !"  was  the  cry. 

The  dealer  was  not  sure  they  had  another  ; 
he  would  see.  He  was  successful.  He  found 
another  box  from  which  he  proceeded  to 
deal,  and  thenceforth  Calkins  lost  without 
intermission. 

The  difihculty  in  the  first  box  was  pretended; 
it  was  simply  an  excuse  to  put  it  away,  and 
to  supply  its  place  with  another  in  which  was 


2/6  THE   GAMBLER. 

concealed  mechanism  which  enabled  the 
dealer  to  perfectl}-  control  the  issue  of  the 
cards  in  the  interest  of  the  bank. 

It  was  at  the  bank  in  which  Lafarge  had  an 
interest  that  the  pla}^  occurred.  When  the 
winnings  of  Paul  grew  large,  he  left,  partly 
because  he  was  permeated  by  the  supersti- 
tion of  some  faro-bankers  that  their  presence 
in  certain  games  brings  the  house  bad  luck. 
Paul  lost  immediately  after  his  departure, 
but  the  reason  was  not  his  absence,  but  the 
swindling  box. 


THE   GAMBLER.  277 


III. 

ELEANOR   MAKES   A   DISCOVERY. 

At  the  end  of  a  twelvemonth,  Paul  had 
ventured  and  lost  every  dollar  of  the  money 
left  him  by  his  mother  excepting  the  sums  he 
had  poured  into  the  lap  of  his  Delilah,  Babet, 
and  the  limited  amounts  he  had  from  time  to 
time  doled  out  to  his  wife. 

It  might  be  thought  that  this  addition  to 
his  burden — the  theft  of  the  funds  intrusted 
to  him  by  his  mother — would  have  crushed 
him  into  the  earth.  He  had  robbed  both  his 
mother  and  his  daughter,  and  it  would  seem 
that  now,  if  ever,  his  conscience  would  have 
driven  him  to  desperation,  even  to  suicide, 
but  he  was  possessed  by  the  demon  of  gamb- 
ling. It  has  no  conscience  ;  it  is  calloused  ; 
it  constantly  suggests  to  the  victim  that  he  is 
not  to  blame ;  that  it  is  to  chance  that  he  owes 
all  his  misfortunes.  He  refuses  to  regard 
himself  as  responsible  ;  he  says  : 


2/8  THE    GAMBLER. 

"  I  was  honest,  and  I  am  vet  honest.  I  have 
not  desired  to  deceive  my  mother,  and  rob 
my  child  ;  chance  has  done  it.  If  chance,  or 
fate,  or  destiny  did  not  wish  me  to  spend  my 
fortune,  why  did  it  not  aid  me  to  wm  ?" 

There  is  another  feature  in  the  composition 
of  a  confirmed  gambler  that  braces  him  up 
even  at  the  moment  when  he  is  weakest.  This 
is  the  belief  always  held  by  him  that  luck  will 
turn,  and  he  may  yet  win.  The  gamester  who 
has  passed  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  over 
the  poker  and  faro-tables,  and  the  one  who 
has  played  in  his  month's  rent  and  the  money 
to  buy  the  Sunday  dinner  of  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren, are  both  sustained  by  the  hope  that  they 
will  yet  win. 

The  dead-broke  tramp  who  hangs  about  the 
doors  of  a  gambling-i-oom  is  always  encour- 
aged by  the  certainty  as  he  regards  it, — that 
if  he  but  had  a  stake  he  could  make  a  win- 
ning. There  are  always  rumors  among  the 
gambling  fraternity  of  this  or  that  man  who 
invested  a  solitary  nickel  on  tlie  wheel,  or  the 
turn  of  the  card,  and  which  won  and  speed- 
ily swelled  up  to  the  thousands.  What  has 
happened  may  happen  again  ;  and  thus  one 
may   often    see    in    a    gambling-room   some 


THE   GAMBLER.  279 

cleaned-out  victim,  rushing  into  the  recesses 
of  his  pockets  in  the  hope  ot  finding  some 
overlooked  coin  with  which  he  may  once 
more  attempt  to  woo  fortune. 

Hence,  to  the  ruined  gamester,  any  amount 
however  trivial,  maybe  the  means  of  unlock- 
ing the  gates  of  wealth.  Five  dollars,  one 
dollar,  fifty  cents,  even  a  quarter,  or  a  dime, 
may  have  value  in  this  direction.  One  who 
has  watched  the  play  about  a  faro-table  will 
often  have  seen  some  emaciated  face  with 
hungry  eyes  gazing  eagerly  at  the  piles  of 
chips  on  the  board,  and  a  moment  later  will 
notice  a  long,  lean  arm  steal  over  the  should- 
ers of  the  players,  and  with  crooked  fingers, 
garnished  with  long,  dirty  nails,  deposit  a 
dime  or  a  quarter  on  some  one  of  the  cards. 

His  hungry  eyes  are  glued  on  the  cards  as 
they  come  from  the  box.  His  cheeks  pale 
with  the  excess  of  his  emotion,  and  the  pal- 
lor gleams  with  distinctness  beneath  the  sal- 
lowness  and  the  dirt.  His  card  is  a  winner, 
and  his  eyes  flashes  with  a  triumph  such  as 
would  illuminate  the  face  of  a  general  assured 
of  a  victory,  involving  the  fate  of  a  half  mil- 
lion men. 

He  leaves  the  doubled  stake  and    waits  a 


28o  THE   GAMBLER. 

new  turn.  Beads  of  sweat  stand  on  his  fore- 
head. He  has  the  appearance  of  one  suffer- 
ing intolerable  agony.  The  card  falls,  and 
the  calloused  dealer,  without  a  thought  of  the 
agony  he  inflicts,  coolly  sweeps  the  chips  into 
his  pile.  And  then  the  impecunious  gamester 
slouches  away  with  a  curse  that  would  blast 
the  universe,  had  it  all  the  force  he  wishes. 

When  his  money  was  all  gone,  Paul  was 
still  possessed  b}'  the  belief  that  all  he  needed 
to  recover  ever3^thing  was  a  stake.  To  at- 
tain this  he  again  fell  into  the  practice  of  bor- 
rowing small  sums  from  anybody  who  could 
be  induced  to  lend.  He  was  every  day  a  liar 
and  a  sneak.  Nothing  was  too  small  for  his 
purpose. 

"  My  sister  has  just  telegraphed  me  that 
she  is  coming  in  on  the  Blank  train,  and  I 
have  to  meet  her  inside  of  ten  minutes.  I 
haven't  a  cent,  and  haven't  time  to  go  around 
to  the  office.  Let  me  have  a  couple  of  dol- 
lars until  to-morrow,  enough  to  pay  for  a 
carriage." 

The  two  dollars  would  be  given  him,  and  a 
moment  later  he  would  hurry  with  it  to  the 
nearest  "  bank.'' 

One  day  Eleanor  was  surprised  by  the  ar- 


THE   GAMBLER.  281 

rival  of  a  grocer's  boy  with  a  formidable  bill 
for  groceries. 

"  Mr.  Green  says  he  wishes  you'd  pay  this 
ere  account.  He  says  it's  been  standin'  long 
enough,  and  he'd  like  to  see  the  color  of  yer 
money ! " 

The  words  and  the  insolent  tone  of  the 
youth  excited  some  indignation  in  the  breast 
of  Eleanor,  and  she  responded  with  asperity: 

"  You  are  a  very  disrespectful  boy,  and  I 
shall  tell  Mr.  Green  that  you  are.  Besides 
this,  I  do  not  owe  Mr.  Green  one  cent.  1 
have  always  sent  the  money  for  anything  I 
wanted." 

"  I  can't  elp  that !  There's  the  bill,  and  Mr. 
Green  tole  me  to  come  over  ere  and  git  it." 

Eleanor  at  once  recovered  her  equanimitv, 
and  said  in  her  usual  pleasant  manner : 

"  There  must  be  some  mistake  in  this.  Ask 
Mr.  Green  if  he  wont  step  over  here  for  a 
moment. 

"  Yessim  !  " 

Mr.  Green  soon  after  dropped  in,  with  an 
expression  of  curiosity  and  amazement  on  his 
ordinarily  stolid  countenance. 

"  I  hope  there's  no  mistake,  mam,"  he  said, 
"  in  that  are  bill." 


282  THE   GAMBLER. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Green,.  I  did  not  know  that  I 
owed  you,  or  any  other  dealer,  a  single  cent !  " 

It  was  Mr.  Green's  turn  to  look  astonished. 

"  Haint  you  been  dcalin'  in  groceries  with 
me,  mam  ?  Haint  my  waggin  been  here 
nearly  every  day,  and  haint,  my  man  put 
basket  after  basket  in  your  kitchen  ?  " 

"  Certainly,''  said  Eleanor.  "  But  I  always 
have  given  the  — " 

Here  she  interrupted  her  words,  hesitated 
a  moment,  a  flaming  red  flashed  over  her  face 
and  forehead,  and,  then  in  a  broken  voice  she 
continued  : 

"This  is  unexpected.  Please  give  me  a 
little  time  to  think.  I  will  see  you  again  to- 
morrow.'' 

Mr.  Green,  much  pleased  with  her  sweet 
voice  and  manner,  and  considerably  puzzled 
over  the  matter,  took  his  leave,  saying  as  he 
went  out : 

"Good-mornin',  Mrs.  Calkins.  Don't  worry 
about  this  little  bill.  The  fact  is  that  boy  o' 
mine  made  a  mistake,  and  took  out  the  wrong 
bill.  I'll  lam  him  when  I  git  back !  Take 
your  own  time  about  the  bill." 

The  cause  that  sent  the  blood  over  the 
countenance    of    Eleanor    was    the     sudden 


THE   GAMBLER.  283 

thought  that  she  had  given  her  husband  the 
money  to  buy  the  groceries  and  other  sup- 
pUes,  and  he  must  have  kept  the  amounts  and 
ordered  the  goods  to  be  charged. 

"  Oh  !  "  she  ejaculated  with  a  pain  at  her 
heart,  "if  he  has  done  this  with  the  grocery- 
man,  has  he  done  it  with  others?" 

Since  Paul's  downfall,  for  many  months  she 
had  given  him  from  time  to  time  out  of  her 
slender  total,  small  amounts  to  make  pur- 
chases for  the  house. 

Her  anticipations  were  realized.  It  was 
the  beginning  of  the  year,  and  bills  came  in 
from  the  butcher,  the  milkman,  the  druggist, 
from  the  landlord  for  five  months  overdue 
house-rent,  from  the  coal  dealer,  the  plumber, 
and  from  other  sources.  Some  of  these,  like 
the  bill  of  the  milkman  and  one  or  tw  o  others, 
were  legitimate,  but  in  the  cases  of  the  major- 
ity of  them  she  had  no  difficulty  in  recalling 
that  she  had  given  her  husband  the  money  to 
pay  for  them. 

As  she  surveyed  the  accumulation  of  bills 
at  the  end  of  a  fortnight,  and  saw  their  num- 
ber and  the  formidable  total  of  their  items, 
and  reflected  that  she  did  not  have  a  dollar 
in  her  possession,  and  that  she   was  alone  in 


284  THE   GAMBLER. 

the  world  so  far  as  her  husband  was  con- 
cerned, for  the  first  time  since  her  marriage 
her  heroic  nature  gave  way,  the  woman  in 
her  nature  asserted  itself,  and  she  dropped 
her  face  on  her  hands  as  they  rested  on  a 
table,  and  burst  into  a  tempest  of  tears. 

Some  minutes  passed,  during  which  great 
sobs  shook  her  frame,  and  then  a  light,  swift 
footstep  fell  on  the  carpet,  and  the  next  instant 
an  arm  was  wound  about  her  head,  and  two 
soft,  tiny  hands  were  pushed  gently  under  her 
hot  brow. 

"What  ails  mamma?  What  makes  poor 
mamma  cry?"  and  at  the  same  time  the  vel- 
vety cheek  of  Aline  was  pressed  against  that 
of  Eleanor,  and  her  golden  hair  lay  like  a  nim- 
bus of  glory  over  the  sloe-hued  locks  of  the 
mother. 

The  child  tenderly  raised  the  crimson,  tear- 
stained  face  from  the  feverish  hands,  and  drew 
it  up  and  over  till  it  reached  and  rested  on 
her  breast. 

"  What  is  it,  pretty  mamma,  good  mamma? 
What  makes  my  little  mamma  cry?  Has 
some  one  hurt  my  little  mamma?  There, 
don't  cry,  little  mamma !  Be  a  good  little 
girl !"  and  thus  saying  in  a  sweet,  pleading, 


THE   GAMBLER.  285 

and  soothing  voice,  she  kissed  the  tears  from 
the  wet  face — as  her  mamma  had  often  done 
for  her  in  her  moments  of  sorrow — and  ten- 
derly patted  the  closed  eyes,  and  passed  her 
hand  with  caressing  touch  over  the  mouth 
and  lips  of  the  broken-hearted  woman.  Sud- 
denly Eleanor  roused  herself,  and  clasped  the 
child  in  her  arms  with  an  embrace  that  seemed 
as  if  it  were  fixed  forever,  drew  Aline  to  her 
bosom,  and  exxlaimed  : 

"Oh,  my  precious,  precious,  precious  dar- 
ling! Oh,  my  sweetness,  my  daughter,  my 
own,  own,  my  child  !  You  do  love  me  darling, 
you  do,  you  do,  you  do!"  She  said  this  in  a 
voice  passionate,  almost  fierce,  as  if  the  utter- 
ance of  a  roused  tigress  scenting  danger  to 
her  young.  As  she  spoke,  she  rained  kisses 
on  the  upturned  face,  on  the  eyelids,  on  the 
i-osebud  mouth,  and  on  the  golden  hair.  And 
then,  recovering  with  a  mighty  effort,  she 
said,  still  holding  the  little  girl  to  her  breast: 

"  Oh,  mamma  is  sick  ;  mamma  has  a  naughty 
headache!     I'll  be  better  soon." 

She  thought  and  thought  in  silence  save 
that  now  and  then  there  was  the  sound  of  a 
quick  kiss  as  she  bent  down  to  the  compas- 
sionate face  of  the  little  2:irl. 


286  THE   GAMBLER. 

"  Oh,  how  frightful  the  humiliation,"  she 
reflected.  "  What  will,  what  can  these  people 
think  to  whom  we  owe  so  much  !  And  how 
can  I  pay  them  ?  They  must  be  paid,  and 
yet  how  !" 

Just  then  a  gleam  of  light  brightened  her 
face. 

"  Wait  here  a  moment,  sweetheart,  till 
mamma  runs  up  stairs.  I  will  sell  my  jew- 
elry," she  said  in  alow  voice,  "and  pay  these 
debts !" 

In  a  little  time  she  returned.  Her  com- 
plexion had  become  a  waxen  pallor  with  livid 
tints  as  if  her  face  had  been  bruised  with  some 
rough  instrument.  She  had  received  a  blow 
which  sent  its  pangs  to  her  heart. 

All  her  jewelry  had  disappeared !  She 
knew  in  an  instant  who  had  taken  them.  It 
was  Paul,  her  husband. 

All  this  was  true.  He  had  taken  the  money 
which  she  had  given  him  to  buy  food  for  the 
family  and  had  used  it  at  the  gaming  table, 
and  had  asked  the  dealers  to  keep  an  account. 
It  was  he  who  had  taken  his  wife's  jewels  that 
he  might  gratify  his  scandalous  passion. 

When  the  full  force  of  the  situation  dawned 
on  her  she  felt  for  the  moment  an  awful  con- 


THE   GAMBLER.  287 

striction  of  her  heart,  as  it  were  in  the  clutch 
of  a  giant's  fingers.  The  blood  surged  into  her 
head  and  blinded  her ;  and  she  thought  she 
was  dying,  and  with  an  almost  joyful  exulta- 
tion she  awaited  the  final  blow.  Just  then 
she  caught  sight  of  the  wondering  face  of 
Aline,  and  with  a  strong  effort  wrenched  her- 
self, as  it  were,  from  the  very  embrace  of 
death. 

"  No,  1  will  not,  1  dare  not  die.  I  mustXwQ 
for  you,  my  darling.  Where  would  your 
little  feet  wander  without  your  mother's 
guiding  hand  ?     I  zvill  live,  and  for  you." 


288  THE   GAMBLER. 


IV. 

DEEPER   IN   THE   SLOUGH. 

Paul  shuffled  into  the  house  the  next  day. 
His  once  fine  complexion  had  become,  as  it 
were,  covered  with  a  species  of  leprous  spots. 
His  eyes  had  sunk  far  into  his  head,  and  were 
faded  out.  His  lips  were  bloodless  and  com- 
pressed, the  lines  on  his  face  had  deepened, 
and  his  hands  trembled.  When  he  attempted 
to  look  at  them  his  head  shook  as  if  he  were 
afflicted  with  palsy. 

He  was  a  wreck.  Scarcely  a  trace  re- 
mained of  the  honest,  healthy,  vigorous  youth 
whom  Eleanor  married.  His  brow  was  cor- 
rugated into  a  perpetual  frown ;  his  voice 
husky  and  tremulous.  He  spoke  but  a  word 
to  Aline,  and  was  sullen  and  reticent. 

Eleanor  looked  on  him  with  a  profound 
commiseration.  He  was  the  man  who  had 
wrecked  her  life,  but  he  was  not  the  man  she 
had  wedded.  This  sullen  brute,  semi-idiotic 
in  his  appearance  and   demeanor,   was  in  no 


THE   GAMBLER.  289 

Sense  the  man  she  had  taken  for  a  husband. 
That  man  was  dead  ;  for  him  she  was  sorry ; 
for  the  creature  before  her  she  had  only  pity. 
She  could  not  hate  him  for  all  the  wretched- 
ness he  had  brought  on  her,  for  he  was  not 
himself.  It  was  the  remnant  of  her  husband  ; 
his  worse  qualities  preserved  and  enlarged, 
and  his  better  ones  paralyzed. 

She  did  not  reproach  him,  nor  did  she' 
make  any  allusion  to  what  had  taken  place. 
After  a  little  while,  he  muttered,  "  I  must  be 
going,"  and  went  away. 

It  was  in  the  first  month  of  the  year  that 
these  later  events  occurred.  Eleanor  made 
up  her  mind  to  call  on  the  various  creditors, 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  an  extension  of 
time  for  the  payment  of  the  indebtedness. 
She  went  to  the  closet  for  her  fur-cloak,  and 
was  unable  to  find  it,  and  it  was  some  time 
before  the  truth  dawned  on  her,  to  the  effect 
that  it  had  been  taken  by  her  husband. 

The  first  blow  so  stunned  her  that  the  loss 
of  her  valuable  cloak  did  not  affect  her  as 
much  as  it  would  had  it  been  discovered 
at  the  outset.  Further  search  revealed  that 
a  couple  of  costly  silk  dresses  were  missing, 
a  shawl  which  she  had  greatly  valued,  and 
19 


290 


THE   GAMBLER. 


several  other  things  of  greater  or  less  value. 

She  returned  to  the  parlor  faint  at  heart, 
and  despairing.  Great  as  was  her  trouble,  it 
was  not  yet  complete.  Within  a  few  hours 
after  she  had  discovered  the  loss  of  her  cloth- 
ing, a  large  truck  backed  around  in  front  of 
the  door.  The  bell  rang,  and  when  she 
opened  the  door  she  found  two  men,  one  of 
whom  inquired  if  Paul  Calkins  lived  there. 

"  Yes,  this  is  where  he  lives.  Do  you  wish 
to  see  him?  " 

For  answer,  one  of  the  men  pushed  rudely 
by  Eleanor,  and  entering  the  house,  turned  to 
the  other  and  said  : 

"  Come  on !  It's  all  right.  This  is  the 
place,  and  here  is  the  stuff." 

The  fellow  who  thus  spoke  was  a  burly 
brute,  with  bloated  cheeks,  watery  eyes,  a  red, 
stubby  moustache  and  tobacco-stained  lips. 
He  carried  the  stub  of  a  cigar  between  his 
lips,  which,  with  his  hat,  he  did  not  remove 
when  he  entered  the  room.  He  had  a  swag- 
ger in  his  gait,  an  insolent  look  in  his  eyes, 
an  enormous  diamond  in  his  cravat,  and  a 
rum-scented  breath.  His  companion  had  the 
appearance  of  an  ordinary  working  man,  and 
lacked  the  impudence  and  pomposity  of  the 
other. 


THE   GAMBLER.  29I 

Eleanor  was  naturally  much  alarmed  at  the 
appearance  of  the  men  and  their  rude  en- 
trance. She  was  silent  from  sheer  astonish- 
ment, and  waited  with  apprehension  the  out- 
come of  the  strange  intrusion. 

The  man  with  the  diamond  stud  looked  all 
over  the  room,  and  finally  said  : 

"  Is  this  yere  stuff  the  property  of  Paul 
Calkins?  " 

"  Yes." 

"All  right  then  !  Here  Jmi,  check  'em  off, 
and  let's  see  if  any  of  the  stuff  is  missin'.  One 
sofa,  I  center  table,  i  stuffed  rocker,  i  green 
easy-chair,  6  common  chairs,  i  carpet,  i  rug, 
I  pianny,  and  what's  this?"  and  so  saying,  he 
drew  a  covering  of  cloth  from  something  in 
the  corner ;  "  oh,  it's  one  of  them  type-ma- 
chines !  That  doesn't  count.  Lemme  see,  I 
guess  that's  all.  Call  in  your  men,  and  less 
load  up." 

"  What  in  the  name  of  heaven  does  all  this 
mean?"  asked  Eleanor,  as  she  saw  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  two  men, 

"  Hurry  up  the  men,  Jim  !  It  nu\ans  that 
I'm  a  constable,  and  have  seized  them  goods 
on  a  warrant  issued  by  Judge  Ausiin  Flint, 
J.  P.     That's  the  kind  of  a  hair-pin    1   am!" 


292  THE   GAMBLER. 

"  Seize  these  goods  ?"'  said  Eleanor.  "  For 
what  reason  do  you  do  this?" 

"  Becos  here's  a  paper  signed  by  Paul 
Calkins  in  which  in  consideration  of  the  sum 
of  two  hundred  dollars  in  hand  paid,  he 
agrees  that  if  said  sum  is  not  well  and  truly 
paid  on  a  certain  date,  to-wit,  yesterday,  then 
may  the  plaintiff,  without  further  delay,  pro- 
ceed to  seize  the  said  goods,  and  take  posses- 
sion of  the  same,  and  to  hold  and  have  the 
same  without  rec(~)urse,  State  of  Illinois,  Cook 
county  double-ess." 

Eleanor  did  not  comprehend  any  more  of 
this  jargon  than  that  the  piano  and  furniture 
had  been  seized  on  a  debt  incurred  by  her  hus- 
band, and  were  about  to  be  taken  away. 

Whiter  than  alabaster,  with  staring  e3^es, 
and  breath  that  came  in  hysteric  gasps,  she 
gazed  at  the  constable  unable  to  say  a  word. 
Just  then  Aline  burst  into  the  room  with  a 
cry  of  shrill  delight  oyer  something  she  had 
seen,  but  seeing  the  strange  men,  stopped  and 
with  open  mouth  looked  from  them  to  her 
mother.  The  fixed,  statue-like  attitude  of  the 
latter  frightened  her,  and  with  a  scream  she 
flew  to  her  side  and  clasping  her  hand,  ejac- 
ulated, "  Mamma!   Mamma  !'' 


THE   GAMBLER.  293 

The  voice  of  Aline  seemed  to  wake  Eleanor 
from  the  stupefaction  which  had  seized  on 
her.  She  laid  her  disengaged  hand  on  the 
head  of  the  child,  and  as  her  fingers  uncon- 
sciously caressed  the  silken  locks,  she  ap- 
peared to  collect  her  wandering  thoughts, 
and  turning  to  the  constable,  said  : 

"  Do  I  understand  that  you  have  seized 
this  furniture  for  debt  owed  by  my  husband, 
Mr.  Calkins,  and  that  he  pledged  it  for  the 
debt?" 

"Yes  mum,  you  are  correct;  in  fact,  you 
have  'tumbled.'  We've  got  the  papers  on  all 
the  stuff  in  this  room  except  that  are  type 
machine." 

"  Is  there  no  remedy  in  the  matter?'" 

"  None  at  all  onless  you've  got  the  two  hun- 
dred, and  enough  more  to  pay  the  costs,  in 
yer  stockin' ;  and  can  produce  right  now  afore 
the  stuff  is  moved." 

Eleanor's  heart  gave  a  few  great  throbs,  as 
she  remained  silent  in  the  presence  of  her 
calamity. 

"  Come  on,  boys !''  said  the  constable,  "  we 
must  git  this  stuff  right  out  without  any  more 
fuss.  Women  always  makes  a  fuss  when  the 
law  takes  their  traps,  but  it  doesn't   kill  'em. 


294  THE   GAMBLER. 

They  alwos  gets  over  it,  and  tries  it  agin. 
That's  your  racket,  missus  ;  git  a  new  set  at 
the  thirty  per  cent,  a  month  stores,  and 
you  can  go  right  on  with  your  business  at 
the  old  stand." 

The  insolence  of  the  language  of  the  brute 
was  intensified  by  his  looks   and  intonations. 

Two  men  who  had  been  waiting  outside, 
entered.  "  Here,"  said  the  constable,  "  begin 
at  the  pianny  first  and — " 

The  men  moved  toward  the  piano.  Elea- 
nor, as  if  seized  by  a  sudden  impulse,  stepped 
in  front  of  them,  waved  them  back,  and  said  : 

"Give  me  a  few  moments.  It  is  an  old 
friend,  and  I  wish  to  bid  it  good-bye." 

There  was  something  commanding  in  her 
appearance,  a  something  solemn  and  appeal- 
ing in  her  face,  that  impressed  them.  They 
halted  and  waited,  watching  her  with  curious 
eyes. 

Eleanor  seated  herself  on  the  stool,  held 
the  face  of  Aline  to  her  with  both  her  hands, 
kissed  it,  and  then  turned  and  dropped  her 
fingers  on  the  keys.  For  a  moment  or  two 
they  wandered  here  and  there,  striking  low, 
sad  chords,  like  the  moan  in  the  air  which 
precedes  a  storm.     And  then,   as   if  without 


THE   GAMBLER.  295 

design,  and  as  if  in  response  to  the  tenor  of 
her  reflections,  she  began  to  play  the  "  Last 
Hope.'' 

The  solemn  minor  notes  of  the  prelude 
rolled  out  with  the  pathos  of  the  tones  of  an 
organ,  like  the  miserere  in  the  aisles  of  a  cathe- 
dral. It  was  as  the  voice  of  penitential 
prayer.  Prostrate  as  it  were,  with  her  face 
in  the  dust,  the  player  implored  the  aid  of 
Heaven. 

When  she  reached  the  theme,  there  was  a 
trifle  less  sadness  in  the  tones  as  if  the  prayer 
might  have  been  heard.  Brilliant  little  runs, 
like  the  quick  chirpings  of  song-birds,  indi- 
cated the  existence  of  happiness,  although 
possibly  only  in  memory  ;  but,  in  the  main, 
the  expression  was  solemn,  as  if  relating  a 
tale  of  corroding  sorrows. 

As  the  theme  progressed,  the  suggestions 
of  wretchedness  and  failure  were  offset  by 
notes  that  seemed  echoes  of  joyous  celestial 
promises.  Faint  voices  from  above  thrilled 
in  unison  with  the  harmonies  of  tne  player, 
and  added  to  the  mortal  strains  a  flavor  of  the 
heavenly  and  eternal. 

Her  soul  seemed  to  mingle  and  become  a 
part  of  the  pathetic  composition,  and  her  life. 


296  THE   GAMBLER. 

with  its  many  sufferings  and  its  occasional 
enjoyments,  came  out  under  her  touch  with 
the  distinctness  of  a  voice.  The  theme  wailed, 
wept,  smiled,  hoped,  despaired.  With  infi- 
nite softness,  the  closing  notes  sank  away  like 
the  vanishing  breath  of  the  dying,  and  ended 
with  the  pacific  calm  of  the  dead  who  have 
gently  passed  away,  hoping  for  a  brighter 
morning. 

When  the  last  soft  tones  glided  away  into 
silence,  she  rose  from  her  seat,  touched  the 
keys  lightly  with  her  lips,  and  with  a  look  of 
saintly  resignation  beaming  from  her  eyes, 
said  in  pleasant  tones  : 

"  I  have  finished,  sir,  and  have  nothing  else 
to  ask  for."  She  took  Aline  and  shut  herself 
in  her  bedroom.  She  heard  the  jar  of  the 
moving  furniture,  and  the  sound  of  the  steps 
adown  the  stairway,  as  if  it  were  the  carrying 
out  of  a  coffin  with  its  heavy  burden. 

In  a  very  brief  time,  the  living  room  of  the 
Calkins'  contained  only  scattered  papers  and 
the  typewriter.  Eleanor,  wrapping  Aline  as 
warmly  as  possible,  herself  thinly  clad,  went 
shivering  through  the  winter's  cold  to  the 
home  of  her  old  triend,  Helen  Jackson. 

One  of  the  creditors  for  the  household-sup- 


THE   GAMBLER.  297 

plies  was  informed  of  the  situation,  and  vol- 
unteered to  see  the  others.  Investigation  af- 
forded information  as  to  the  real  cause  of  the 
difficulties,  and  all  unanimously  resolved  to 
cancel  their  bills.  Eleanor  was  not  told  of 
this  decision  further  than  that  none  of  the 
creditors  was  pressing,  and  that  all  of  them 
were  willing  to  permit  her  to  take  her  own 
time  in  paying  the  indebtedness. 

One  week  after  she  left  her  home,  she  was 
seated  at  her  typewriter  before  the  same  desk 
at  which  she  was  first  seen  in  this  narration. 

Six  years  had  passed.  She  was  the  same, 
and  yet  changed.  Some  gray  hairs  were 
woven  in  the  woof  of  her  hair;  her  face  was 
a  trifie  thinner,  and  her  eyes  had  lost  their 
dreamy  shyness,  and  looked  one  frankly  in 
the  face. 

Six  years  ago  she  sat  in  the  same  seat.  Had 
she  been  absent  at  all?  Was  it  not  last  eve- 
ning that  she  left  the  office,  and  was  not  her 
marriage  and  its  consequences  a  mere  dream  ? 
And  thus  she  thought : 

"  Dear,  old  typewriter,"  she  said,  as  she 
looked  over  its  keys,  whose  white  surfaces 
seemed  welcoming  faces,  "  you  are  true  to  me, 
and  I  love  you  !  " 


298  THE   GAMBLER. 


V. 

A  VIGOROUS   SET-TO. 

A  few  evenings  after  the  occurrence  of  the 
events  just  related,  Paul,  as  was  his  custom 
two  or  three  times  a  week,  dropped  into  the 
New  Rest  saloon-restaurant.  He  was  partial 
to  the  place,  for  there  was  something  in  its 
alcohoHc  atmosphere  and  the  flavor  of  court- 
esanship  that  suited  his  tastes. 

One  with  an  uneasy  conscience  finds  some 
relief  in  a  sympatheticlocality,  in  which  there 
are  others  who  have  memories  that  afflict 
them,  and  who  are  not  free  from  moral  taint. 

Elise  came  in  shortly  after  Paul  entered, 
and  seeing  him,  came  and  sat  down  by  him. 
Her  eyes  were  dry  and  fierce,  and  her  ex- 
pression indicative  of  mental  perturbation. 

""How  are  you  getting  on  with  Babet?" 
she  asked. 

"  Oh,  we're  friendly,"  he  responded,  with 
some  hesitation. 


THE   GAMBLER.  299 

"Oh,  indeed!  I  should  think  you  would 
be;  or,  at  least,  she  should  be  a  friend  of 
yours." 

"  Why?" 

"  Oh,  I  know  all  about  it.  I  know  who 
gave  her  that  fur  cloak,  and  that  neck-chain 
and  the  rings.  You  needn't  look  as  if  you 
didn't  know  about  it.  You  gave  them  to 
her." 

"  Oh,  no,  you  are  mistaken.  I  can't  afford 
to  give  away  seal-skin  cloaks,  necklaces  and 
diamond  rings." 

"  Bosh,  I  know  better  !  Now  I  want  to  tell 
you  that  you  are  a  chump  of  the  first  water. 
You  are  a  fool,  a  simpleton,  a  gudgeon,  any- 
thing that  is  stupid  and  idiotic." 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  you?  What  do 
you  mean?     Why  am  I  a  chump?" 

"  Because  you  allowed  that  pot-colored 
little  beast  to  rob  you.  She's  taking  every- 
thing you  give  her,  and  at  the  same  time  is 
stuck  on  Lafarge.  She  doesn't  care  the  snap 
of  her  finger  for  vou  !"  Elise  grew  very  red 
in  the  face  as  she  proceeded  ;  but  her  emotion 
probably  was  due  more  to  her  jealousy  of  her 
old  lover,  Lafarge,  than  from  indignation  over 
the  robbery  of  Paul  by  The  Panther. 


300  THE   GAMBLER. 

"  Why,  Lafarge  has  told  me  a  hundred  times 
that  he  hated  Babet,  that  she  is  treacherous, 
and  that  I  had  best  keep  out  of  her  way." 

"Of  course!  He  wanted  you  to  dislike 
her  and  leave  her,  so  that  he  would  fuid  less 
opposition.  But  he  is  deceiving  you  the 
same  as  she  is." 

"  I  can  hardly  believe  it." 

"  Well,  believe  it  or  not  as  you  like.  I  give 
you  notice  that  not  onl}^  has  she  gone  back 
on  you,  but  that  she  will  keep  you  along, 
bleeding  you  at  every  step,  and  will  end  by 
landing  you  in  Joliet.  Neither  her  greed  nor 
her  heartlessness  has  any  limit.'' 

When  Paul  left  the  New  Rest,  he  was  much 
disturbed  over  what  had  been  said  to  him  by 
Elise.  His  infatuation  for  Babet  was  over> 
powering  ;  for  her,  and  to  incidentally  gratify 
his  passion  for  play,  he  had  robbed  his  own 
wife,  and  for  this  he  expected  gratitude  and 
devotion. 

That  night  he  went  to  the  gambling-house 
of  Lafarge,  and  soon  after  was  engaged  in  a 
game  of  cards  in  which  Lafarge  was  a  partic- 
ipant. The  latter  was  affable  as  usual,  and 
yet  Paul  fancied  as  he  caught  the  glance  now 
and  then  of  the  other,  that  he  detected  an 
expression  of  hostility. 


THE   GAMBLER.  3OI 

The  game  proceeded  without  anything  re- 
markable to  characterize  it  for  some  hours. 
Lafarge  seemed  to  be  more  than  ordinarily 
anxious  for  Paul  to  drink,  while,  for  a  won- 
der, and  for  some  unexplainable  reason,  the 
latter  was  more  abstemious  than  was  his 
regular  custom. 

There  came  a  point  in  the  game  when  a 
very  large  sum  of  money  had  been  collected 
in  a  "jack-pot."  A  "  raise  "  before  the  cards 
were  "  helped,"  finally  drove  everybody  out 
except  Lafarge  and  Paul.  The  two  then 
"raised  "  each  other  for  a  considerable  sum, 
and  at  last  called  for  the  draw. 

Lafarge  was  the  dealer,  and  directly  oppo- 
site him  was  his  single  opponent.  The  latter 
stood  "  pat,"  that  is,  did  not  take  any  cards. 
Paul  had  thrown  himself  well  back  in  his  chair 
when  the  preliminary  betting  had  ceased.  His 
position  was  so  low  that  he  saw  the  bottom 
card  of  the  pack  as  Lafarge  picked  it  up  to 
"  help  "  the  hands.  Tt  was  the  ace  of  spades. 
Lafarge  held  the  cards  a  moment  as  if  study- 
ing what  to  do  on  account  of  Paul's  taking  no 
cards,  and  then  he  took  one. 

Glancing  at  his  cards,  Lafarge  bet  a  small 
sum,  and  was  immediately   "  raised  ''  by  the 


302  THE   GAMBLER. 

Other.  Several  hundred  dollars  were  added 
to  the  already  enormous  pile  of  chips  and 
bank-bills,  when  Paul,  whose  funds  were  about 
exhausted,  "  called  "  the  other,  and  spread 
out  on  the  table  a  king-full. 

"  No  good  !  "  exclaimed  Lafarge,  with  an 
oath  ;  "  I  can  beat  that !  "  and  he  spread  out  a 
"  full-hand  ''  with  aces. 

Paul  glanced  at  the  hand  in  stupefaction. 
He  was  again  ruined.  Suddenly,  among  the 
three  aces  he  saw  the  ace  of  spades.  With  a 
quick  motion  he  threw  his  arm  ar(^und  the 
pile  in  the  center  of  the  table,  and  drew  it 
over  to  his  side. 

"  What are  you  doing?" 

"  I'm  taking  my  own,  that's  all." 

"  What's  the  matter  with  you  ?  Haven't  I 
the  best  hand  ?  " 

"  No  sir  !  before  you  helped  the  hands  I  saw 
that  ace  of  spades  on  the  bottom  of  the  pack. 
You  slipped  it  into  your  hand,  and  that's 
where  you  got  that  ace-full." 

"  You  are  a  —  liar  !  "  shouted  Lafarge,  as 
he  sprang  to  his  feet,  with  blazing  eyes  and 
fierce  gestures. 

"  And  you  are  a  swmdler  and  a  thief!"  was 
the  response,  as  Paul  hurriedly  pushed  back 
his  chair,  and  faced  his  opponent. 


THE   GAMBLER.  303 

They  rushed  toward  each  other  with  the 
fury  of  two  savage  bulls.  Paul's  athletic 
training — taken  at  the  suggestion  of  Lalarge 
— was  of  immense  value  to  him  at  this  critical 
moment.  As  the  latter  came  within  arm's 
length,  Paul  stepped  lightly  a  little  one  side  and 
before  his  antagonist  could  change  his  course 
he  received  a  blow  from  the  fist  of  the  other 
which  staggered  him,  and  nearly  brought  him 
to  the  fioor.  He  recovered  himself,  and  again 
made  a  rush  for  his  opponent. 

Twice  did  the  fist  of  Paul  encounter  his 
face  before  they  came  together  in  a  clinch. 
The  grapple  held  but  a  moment.  Paul  skill- 
fully tripped  his  opponent,  who  fell,  and 
received  the  blow  of  the  body  of  Paul  as  he 
came  down  on  him.  At  this  moment  the 
other  players  had  recovered  somewhat  from 
their  consternation  over  the  shape  matters 
had  taken,  and  interfered  and  pulled  apart 
the  writhing,  panting  contestants. 

Lafarge's  face  was  considerabl}^  bruised, 
and  the  blood  flowed  freely  from  his  face  and 
stained  the  white  of  his  shirt-front  with  irreg- 
ular blotches. 

"  I'll  kill  you  yet, you  !"  he  vocifer- 
ated as  he  was  being  held  by  the  other  players, 


304  THE   GAMBLER. 

and  shook  his  arms  and  fists  frantically  in  the 
direction  of  Paul. 

Paul  g-athered  the  money  on  the  table,  went 
to  the  home  of  Babet,  and  threw  the  most  of 
it  in  her  lap.  So  grateful  was  she  in  her 
reception  of  the  gift,  and  so  gracious  in  her 
treatment  of  him  that  when  he  left  he  was  in 
a  delirium  of  joy,  firmly  convinced  that  he 
was  her  hero  and  idol,  and  that  the  statements 
of  Elise  were  the  inventions  of  a  jealous 
woman. 

The  stake  on  which  he  made  the  winning 
from  Lafarge  was  the  last  realized  from  the 
sale  of  a  portion  of  his  wife's  dresses.  What 
remained  after  he  had  made  a  present  of  the 
greater  portion  to  Babet,  he  speedily  lost  at 
the  faro-bank.  It  left  him  substantially  with- 
out resources.  His  own  watch  and  diamond 
pin  he  had  long  since  pawned,  and  spent  the 
proceeds.  His  clothing  had  become  shiny 
and  greasy,  his  hat  showed  lines  of  indenta- 
tion, his  shoes  were  dilapidated  and  run  over 
at  the  heels.  He  was  fast  approaching  the 
appearance  of  a  tramp. 

Now  and  then  he  obtained  a  dollar  or  two 
as  a  loan  from  some  old  acquaintance  who 
had  known  him  in  his  better  days;  and  this, 


THE   GAMBLER.  305 

after  a  small  amount  was  spent  in  free  lunch 
saloons,  he  played  into  the  bank. 

Even  the  bankers  who  had  won  his  money 
began  to  be  weary  of  his  appearance,  and  in 
some  cases  ordered  the  janitor  to  refuse  him 
entrance.  It  may  be  thought  that  at  this 
period  of  his  extreme  degradation  reflection 
would  have  blasted  him  as  he  thought  over 
his  life.  But  he  had  provided  against  this; 
he  had  taken  to  opium,  and  in  this  way  dead- 
ened the  last  of  his  sensibilities. 

Occasionally  some  sympathetic  dealer 
would  permit  him  to  act  as  the  "lookout" 
during  a  game,  and  toss  him  a  dollar  for  the 
service.  Now  and  then  he  picked  up  a 
stranger,  and  led  him  into  a  game  for  which 
he  received  a  percentage  on  the  amount  won 
from  the  visitor.  Now  and  again  he  earned 
a  dollar  or  two  by  acting  as  a  "  capper  ;"  that 
is,  he  sat  in  a  game  when  a  stranger  entered, 
and  with  chips  provided  him  by  the  house 
he  played  as  if  a  regular  customer.  This 
would  often  induce  men  to  enter  the  game 
who  would  hesitate  to  sit  down  at  a  table 
where  there  were  no  others. 

He  worked  out  in  his  mind  ingenious 
"  systems"  for  "  bcatmg  the  bank,"  and  tried 
20 


306  "  THE   GAMBLER. 

them  all,  and  always  lost.  On  the  ground 
that  he  had  once  known  reputable  business 
men,  he  was  allowed  a  share  in  poker  games 
run  in  the  rear  of  some  saloon,  or  on  the 
secluded  upper  floor  of  the  business  blocks. 
Beside  this  he  acted  as  touter,  visiting  certain 
men  whom  he  once  knew,  and  whom  he  knew 
to  be  fond  of  the  game,  and  induced  them  to 
play  in  the  game  by  the  statement  that  other 
reputable  men  whom  they  knew  were  in  the 
habit  of  playing  in  it.  In  this  way  a  decent 
citizen  would  be  inveigled  into  the  game,  and 
his  presence  was  at  once  used  to  influence 
others. 

Two  or  three  genuine  business  men  thus 
roped  into  a  game  would  be  the  prey  of  sharps 
who  appeared  as  railway  conductors,  commer- 
cial men,  and  in  other  disguises. 

Through  one  of  these  fortuitous  combina- 
tions of  luck  which  now  and  then  favor  the  . 
unlucky,  Paul  one  evening  ventured  a  solitary 
quarter  of  a  dollar  on  a  card  and  won.  His 
luck  continued  till  he  had  won  about  a  hun- 
dred dollars,  when  it  turned  on  him  and  he 
drew  out.  With  this  money  he  bought  a 
suit  of  clothes  and  some  clean  underwear, 
and  for  the  moment  was  the  semblance  of  his 
former  self. 


THE   GAMBLER.  307 

Thus  refitted  he  hurried  to  the  home  of 
Babet,  whom  he  had  not  visited  for  some 
weeks,  owing  to  his  dilapidated  appearance. 
Gaining  her  presence,  she  rushed  into  his 
arms  with  a  shriek  of  dehght. 

"  Oh,  my  baby,  where  have  you  been  so 
long?  I've  ahnost  died  because  I  could  not 
see  you  !  " 

She  seated  herself  on  his  lap,  and  caressed 
his  hair  and  cheeks  with  her  slender  fingers. 

"  And  what  nice  thing  has  my  baby  brought 
his  Babet,  to-night?" 

"Nothing,  I'm  sorry  to  say." 

"Nothing?  Nothing  at  all  ?  Not  one  lit- 
tle thing?  " 

"  No,  Babet.  In  fact,  I'm  out  of  luck.  I 
haven't  a  dollar  to  my  name.  I'm  g(^ing  to 
ask  a  favor  of  you,  Babet,  which  I  know  you'll 
be  glad  to  grant." 

"  A  favor  of  me?"  Her  voice  lost  its  ca- 
ressing tone,  and  she  removed  her  fingers 
from  his  cheeks.  "  What  do  you  want  of 
me?  " 

"Babet,  3'ou  know  that  when  I  had  money, 
I  gave  it  to  you  with  an  open  hand.  I  have 
gladly  poured  thousands  of  dollars  into  your 
lap,  and  have  given  you  presents   which   cost 


3o8  THE   GAMBLER. 

other  thousands.  Now,  I  want  you  to  let  me 
have  two  or  three  hundred  dollars.  I  have  a 
chance  to  get  an  interest  in  a  game  in  which 
I  am  sure  I  can  make  a  good  deal  of  money. " 

She  sprung  from  his  lap  with  the  light 
agility  of  a  wild  cat,  turned  toward  him,  and 
with  her  face  full  of  scorn  and  contempt,  her 
eyes  blazing  with  fury,  she  screamed  : 

"  What  do  you  take  me  for?  " 

"  I  take  you  for  my  old  friend,  Babet,  the 
most  charming — " 

"Charming  be  !     You  are  a  fool,  an 

imbecile  !  " 

"  But,  Babet,''  feebly  interposed  Paul,  "  I 
need  the  money  ;  I  almost  need  it  for  food. 
You  have  had  large  sums  from  me,  and  I 
want  only  a  small  loan,  which  I  will  soon  pay 
you  with  big  interest." 

*'You  make  me  tired!  I  let  you  have 
money  ?  Not  a  sou  !  I  am  one  who  receives, 
and  not  one  who  lends  money.  What,  do 
you  suppose  that  I  shall  allow  myself  to  be 
ruined  by  men,  and  then  loan  them  money? 
Do  you  suppose  that  after  being  obliged  to 
pander  to  the  beastly  vices  of  drunken  brutes 
I  am  going  to  become  a  philanthropist  and 
use  mv  money  to  lelieve  them  of  the  punish- 
ment which  justly  falls  on  them?" 


THE   GAMBLER.  309 

**  But,  Babet,  hear  me  — " 

"  1  will  hear  nothing;  I  have  heard  you  say 
that  you  are  a  pauper,  and  that  is  all  I  wish 
to  hear.  Leave  me!  I  have  no  use  for 
moneyless  men  !  Go  and  get  money  ;  win  it 
at  gambling;  steal  it;  kill  to  get  it;  get  it,  1 
care  not  how,  then  come  to  me!  Bring  me 
money,  jewels,  rich  presents,  and  I  am  yours, 
body  and  soul !  But  you  have  no  money. 
Go  away,  and  never  see  me  again  till  your 
hands  are  filled  with  gold  and  diamonds!  " 

So  saying,  she  turned  to  leave. 

With  a  savage  oath,  Paul  rose,  made  a 
single  stride  toward  her,  grasped  her  slender 
throat  in  his  fingers,  and  compressed  them 
till  her  tongue  protruded  and  her  eyes  were 
pushed  out  iit  their  sockets.  She  wilted 
when  he  dropped  her,  and  she  fell  in  a  heap 
on  the  floor.  Giving  the  insensible  mas^  a 
heavy  kick,  he  left  the  room. 

Such  brutality  seems  incredible,  and  yet, 
among  these  women  and  their  "lovers"  such 
assaults  are  not  at  all  uncommon. 

Enraged,  humiliated,  crushed,  he  strode 
like  a  maniac  along  the  streets,  sowing  hor- 
rid blasphemies  and  furious  imprecations 
through  the  darkness. 


3IO  THE   GAMBLER. 

"  It  is  that  cursed  Jew  !  "   he  thought,  after 
his  incoherent  rage  had  somewhat  spent  itself ; 

'*and,  by  ,  I'll  get  even   with    him   if   it 

costs  me  my  life  !  " 


THE   GAMBLER.  3II 


VI. 

i 
THE   SACRIFICE    IS    FOUND. 

When  the  contusions  on  his  face  had  dis- 
appeared in  part,  and  he  was  in  a  condition  to 
appear  in  public,  Lafarge  determined  to  see 
Natalie.  His  hatred  of  Paul  had  increased 
a  thousand  fold  since  the  latter  had  caught 
him  cheating  at  cards,,  and  had  given  him  a 
beating. 

It  was  about  midnight  when  he  reached 
the  home  of  the  Ogress.  It  was  winter,  and 
a  tremendous  storm  of  wind  and  snow  swept 
over  the  city,  driving  every  one  under  cover. 
The  storm  roared  among  the  chimneys  and 
steeples  ;  it  beat  the  innumerable  telegraph 
wires,  which  resented  the  blows  with  melan- 
choly clamors;  it  twisted  the  tree-tops  and 
howled  with  a  dismal  pathos  at  the  street 
corners,  and  across  the  public  squares. 

Facing  this  storm,  which  was  somewhat 
in  harmony  with  his   feelings,  he  was  keyed 


312  THE   GAMBLER. 

up  to  a  stormy  pitch  when  he  entered  Natalie's 
room,  and  was  prepared  for  any  extrav- 
agance. It  did  not,  therefore,  particularly 
surprise  him  to  see  that  the  room  had  been 
fitted  for  sacrifice,  as  the  Ogress  called  it, 
when  she  intended  to  offer  special  worship  to 
her  Fetich. 

Every  portion  of  the  roum  was  shrouded 
in  black.  The  bureau  which  served  as  the 
altar  had  been  moved  into  its  place,  and 
beneath  the  black  cloth  which  covered  its 
top,  Lafarge  saw  the  outlines  of  the  skull. 
Around  the  neck  of  the  alligator  was  en- 
twined a  wide  strip  of  crape. 

Natalie  was  clad  in  her  usual  dress  of  some 
sable  stuff,  and  in  her  long,  coarse  hair  there 
was  woven,  or  braided  innumerable  small 
cords  of  ebon  hue,  and  which  had  the  effect 
to  spread  out  her  hair  till  it  hung  down  her 
shoulders  like  a  long,  wide  mat. 

"  You  were  expected,  and  you  are  wel- 
come!" she  said,  as  Lafarge  entered.  "The 
Fetiches  are  out  to-night,  and  are  riding  on 
the  storm.  Hear  them  shout !  They  are 
rejoicing-,  for  they  scent  blood  in  the  air. 
To-night  blood  will  flow,  and  I  have  prepared 
for  the  sacrifice." 


THE   GAMBLER.  313 

Lafarg-e  felt  a  chill  as  she  spoke.  She 
seemed  to  be  actuated  by  insane  impulses. 
Her  voice  was  swollen  and  harsh  ;  her  eyes 
were  enlarged  and  emitted  flashes  like  a  black 
diamond.  Her  long  tusks,  white  as  milk, 
gleamed  ominously  against  the  jet  back- 
ground of  her  face.  Her  body  and  limbs 
were  in  incessant  motion  ;  and  she  seemed 
to  be  in  a  species  of  ecstatic  frenzy  that 
shook  and  twisted  her  as  the  storm  outside 
swayed  the  leafless  branches  of  the  trees. 

"  See  !"  she  ejaculated  ;  "  all  is  ready  foi-  the 
sacrifice  ;  here  is  the  cup  and  here  the  sponge, 
both  sacred  to  the  worship  of  the  priest,  my 
father!"  She  lifted  the  cloth  over  the  skull 
and  revealed  a  small  cup  of  scarlet  hue,  and 
a  sponge  white  as  snow. 

"  Maumee,"  said  Lafarge,  "  I  am  in  trouble  ; 
my  enemy  follows  me  and  has  everlastingly 
disgraced  me.  I  have  made  him  a  pauper ; 
I  have  beggared  his  mother,  his  wife  and  his 
child  ;  I  have  taken  away  li  om  him  the 
woman  whom  he  loves,  and  yet  my  hate  is 
unsatisfied.  He  struck  me  in  the  presence  of 
others,  and  the  disgrace  of  the  blow  sears 
my  heart.  Give  me  some  revenge  more  dis- 
tressing than  beggary,    more   poignant  than 


314  THE    GAMBLER. 

the  loss  of  family  and  honor,  friends  and  rep- 
utation," 

"  You  will  be  avenged.  I  see  corpses,  with 
dull,  glassy  eyes  !  Wait  with  patience.  _Not 
many  hours  hence  the  catastrophe  will  be 
here.  I  hear  the  beating  of  its  wings  against 
the  bosom  of  the  storm.  I  hear  it  coming, 
it  is  almost  here  !     Go  now,  and  wait !" 

^  ^  -^  ii:  ^ 

A  prolonged  debauch  had  been  indulged  in 
by  Paul  Calkins  after  the  occurrence  in  which 
he  was  denounced  by  Babet  and  which  ended 
in  his  striking  her  to  the  floor.  When  most  in- 
toxicated he  became  maudlin  in  sentiment  as 
well  as  in  liquor,  and  frequently  shed  tears 
over  himself,  and  over  the  recollection  of  the 
brutal  punishment  he  had  inflicted  on  Babet. 
He  excused  her,  at  these  moments,  for  her 
rejection  of  him. 

"  She  did  right,"  he  would  think,  "  So  mar- 
.velous  a  creature  as  she,  deserves  the  tribute 
of  gold  and  precious  stones." 

So  low  had  he  descended  that  even  his 
contemptuous  rejection  by  a  wretched  cour- 
tesan did  not  offend  him.  "  I  deserved  it,"  he 
concluded. 

He  had  been  drinking  heavily  at  this  time. 


THE   GAMBLER.  315 

and  it  is  not  therefore  astonishing — for  any- 
thing may  be  expected  from  the  vagaries  and 
eccentricities  of  intoxication — that  he  deter- 
mined to  go  and  see  Babet.  He  would  beg 
her  pardon  for  his  brutahty  ;  he  would  con- 
vince her  of  iiis  affection,  and  without  doubt 
she  would  receive  him  again.  He  remem- 
bered the  flash  of  her  great  black  eyes,  the  ca- 
ressing touch  of  her  soft  fingers,  and  his  fancy, 
heated  by  stimulants,  rose  to  the  temperature 
of  fever,  as  he  reflected  over  the  memories 
of  their  past. 

It  was  the  same  night  on  which  Lafarge 
visited  Natalie  that  Paul  started  to  again  see 
Babet.  He  encountered  the  storm  which 
beat  against  him  savagely,  as  if  attempting  to 
express  its  dislike  for  his  nefarious  errand. 

It  was  about  one  o'clock  in  the  morning 
when  he  reached  the  house.  He  rang,  the 
door  was  opened.  Knowing  the  way  to 
Babet's  room,  and  hoping  to  find  her  there, 
he  made  no  inquiry  of  the  servant  who 
admitted  him.  He  went  up  a  flight  of  stairs, 
turned  down  a  long  hall  at  the  extreme  end 
of  which  was  the  room  he  sought.  As  he 
neared  the  room  he  heard  voices  in  the  room, 
one  of  which  was  Babet's  and  the  other  that  of 


3l6  THE   GAMBLER. 

a  man.  The  heavy  carpets  drowned  his 
footsteps,  so  that  his  approach  was  unnoticed. 

Just  as  he  reached  the  door  the  conversa- 
tion dropped  to  a  low  tone  whose  theme 
could  not  be  heard  b\'  the  listener.  His  head 
swam,  a  choking  sensation  came  into  his 
throat,  and  his  heart  throbbed  vehemently  as 
he  discovered  that  a  man  was  in  the  room. 
He  almost  unconsciously  turned  the  door- 
knob, and  to  his  surprise  the  door  opened. 
Its  occupants  had  evidently  neglected  to  fasten 
it.  Impelled  by  an  irresistible  impulse  and 
reckless  from  alcohol,  he  entered  the  room 
and  then  shut  the  door  and  shot  the  bolt  into 
its  socket. 

The  noise  of  fastening  the  door  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  two  people  already  in  the 
room.  Babet  lay  across  the  bed  in  her  night- 
dress, and  as  the  noise  of  the  bolt  attracted 
her  attention,  she  glanced  up,  saw  Paul,  and 
said : 

"  You  wretched  cur,  how  dare  you  ?" 

At  this  utterance,  the  half-dressed  man  who 
was  standing  close  by  the  bed  with  his  back 
to  the  door,  turned  quickly,  and  faced  the 
intruder,  and  Paul  saw  before  him  the  scowl- 
ing face  of  John  Lafarge. 


THE   GAMBLER.  317 

"  You scoundrel !"  came  simultan- 
eously from  the  lips  of  the  two  men. 

Lafarge  threw  his  hand  behind  him  to  his 
hip  pocket,  pulled  a  pistol  and  was  raising  it 
to  a  level  of  the  breast  of  Paul  with  the  ejac- 
ulation, "  Now you,  I've  got  you, 

and  I'll  kill  you,"  when  it  was  seized  by  Paul  in 
such  a  manner  that  when  the  trigger  was 
pulled  the  hammer  was  intercepted  by  his 
thumb.  He  closed  with  Lafarge,  and  in  the 
struggle  Lafarge  fired  at  a  moment  when 
Paul  wrenched  his  body  aside,  and  the  bullet 
passing  under  his  arm,  struck  Babet  in  the 
left  breast.  An  instant  later  Paul  wrested 
the  pistol  from  the  hands  of  Lafarge,  placed 
it  against  his  temple  and  fired.  Lafarge 
threw  up  his  arms  with  a  convulsive  motion, 
and  reeling  around,  fell  on  his  face  across 
the  bed. 

All  this  occurred  in  a  few  seconds.  The 
moment  Lafarge  fell,  Paul  dropped  the  pistol, 
jumped  to  a  window,  raised  it,  and  sprang 
out  into  the  storm  and  darkness. 

As  he  disappeared  a  door  concealed  by 
curtains  on  another  side  of  the  room  opened 
softly,  and  Natalie  glided  swiftly  in.  She 
carried  the  sponge  which  she  dipped  in  the 
blood  flowing  from  Babet's  wound,  and  that 


3l8  THE   GAMBLER. 

on  the  forehead  of  Lafai-ge,  and  then  glided 
back  as  she  came,  and  disappeared. 

The  door  led  into  her  own  room,  where 
was  the  preparation  for  the  sacrifice.  She 
lifted  the  black  covering  above  the  skull,  put 
the  reddened  sponge  in  the  cup,  placed  it 
before  the  teeth  of  the  skull,  and  then 
exclaimed  with  rapture  and  exultation : 

"It  has  come  at  last,  oh,  my  father,  the 
blood  of  sacrifice !'' 

Meanwhile  the  noise  of  the  pistol-shots  had 
aroused  the  inmates  of  the  house.  They  tried 
to  enter  the  room,  but  the  door  was  fastened 
within.  The  police  were  notified  and  the  door 
broken  open. 

Babet  lay  across  the  bed  with  the  blood 
oozing  from  the  wound  in  her  breast,  while 
Lafarge  lay  across  her  lower  limbs  with  his 
feet  on  the  floor,  as  if  he  had  thrown  himself 
in  this  position  to  protect  her. 

Both  were  dead.  A  pistol  with  two  empty 
chambers  lay  on  the  floor.  There  were  no 
signs  of  a  struggle,  and  the  most  patient 
investigation  at  the  time,  and  later,  never 
afforded  any  elucidation  of  the  mystery.  At 
this  date  the  public  is  undecided  as  to  whether 
there  was  a  third  person  involved  who  com- 


THE    GAMBLER.  3I9 

mitted  the  deed,  or  whether  it  was  a  murder 
and  a  suicide,  or  a  double  suicide. 

When  Paul  jumped  throuo^h  the  window, 
he  struck  on  a  pile  of  boards  and  other  ma- 
terial, gathered  for  fuel  by  Italians  living  in 
the  rear.  The  distance  was  only  a  couple  of 
feet.  He  easily  and  safely  crossed  to  the  edge 
of  the  alley,  into  which  he  sprang,  and  disap- 
peared in  the  darkness.  The  storm  still  raged 
so  that  few  people  were  abroad,  and  the 
chances  of  his  being  recognized  were  infini- 
tesimal. 

■5f  -X-  -if  *  * 

A  month  or  so  after  this  occurrence,  Elea- 
nor, while  seated  at  her  typewriter,  was  sur- 
prised at  the  appearance  of  a  policeman  in 
full  uniform. 

"  I'm  lookin'  for  a  lady,  Missus  Calkins. 
Do  you  know  her?" 

"  That's  my  name,"  she  responded,  with 
some  trepidation. 

"  Well,  mam,  there's  a  young  fellow  at  the 
hospital  who  is  dyin'  and  he  asked  to  see  you." 

"  Do  you  know  what  his  name  is?'' 

"  No,  mam,  I  don't.  He's  a  pauper  patient, 
and  proud-appearin',  and  mebbe  doesn  t  like 
to  give  his  real  name.     Will  ye  see  him?" 


320  THE   GAMBLER. 

She  thought  a  moment ;  it  might  be  Paul; 
at  any  rate  she  would  go. 

She  reached  the  hospital  and  gave  her 
name.  Soon  after  she  was  led  into  one  of  the 
wards,  and  taken  to  the  side  of  a  white  couch. 

"  It's  a  bad  case  of  pneumonia,"  said  the 
nurse,  "  and  he's  pretty  near  gone  now." 

A  strange  figure  met  her  sight ;  but  in  the 
emaciated  countenance,  the  ghastly  pallor  of 
the  face,  the  deep,  sunken  and  faded  eyes  she 
recognized  her  husband.  His  breath  came 
and  went  in  short,  painful  gasps,  accompanied 
by  a  hoarse  rattling.  His  eyes  were  staring 
into  vacancy,  and  he  did  not  notice  the  pres- 
ence of  a  new  face. 

Tears  gushed  into  the  eyes  of  Eleanor  as 
she  saw  the  pitiful  object,  and  she  bent  over 
the  face  and  said  : 

"  Paul!  Paul!  Don't  you  know  me?  It  is 
Eleanor." 

A  nurse  poured  a  spoonful  of  some  stim- 
ulant between  the  rigid  jaws.  Into  the  dull 
and  glassy  eyes  there  slowly  came  a  gleam  of 
intelligence.  He  endeavored  to  speak.  She 
bent  down  her  ear  to  his  lips  and  heard  him 
feebly  articulate  in  a  fast-choking  voice,  the 
single  wt)rd,  "  F-o-r-g-i-v-e — " 


THE    GAMBLER.  32 1 

When  she  raised  her  face  and  looked  at  him 
again  the  gleam  of  intelligence  had  vanished. 
The  jaw  had  fallen  and  the  eyes  had  turned 
upward  till  but  little  save  the  whites  were 
visible. 

"  He's  gone  !"  said  the  nurse,  who  happened 
to  pass  at  that  moment. 

The  next  day  a  hearse  and  a  single  carriage 
occupied  by  two  women  and  a  little  girl  went 
out  to  Rose  Hill  cemetery.  As  the  attendant 
rounded  up  the  filling  of  the  grave,  the 
mourners  turned  away. 

"  Good-by,  husband  !"  said  one  in  a  voice 
choking  with  tears. 

"  Good-by  dear,  dear  papa !"  said  the  little 
girl,  as  she  clung  to  her  mother's  dress  and 
buried  her  face  in  its  folds. 
21 


322  THE   GAMBLER. 


VII. 

A  HAND  FROM  THE  FURTHER  SHORE. 

A  short  time  after  the  death  of  Paul,  Eleanor 
received  a  letter  from  the  bank  with  which  he 
had  formerly  done  business,  stating  that  there 
was  in  the  safe  a  package  of  papers  which 
was  left  there  by  her  husband  for  safe-keeping, 
and  which  they  would  be  pleased  to  deliver 
to  her  either  in  person  or  on  order. 

She  soon  secured  the  package,  and  found 
it  to  consist  of  a  large  envelope,  sealed  and 
labeled  "  Paul  Calkins;  to  be  left  till  called 
for."  She  broke  the  seal  and  within  found 
a  letter  in  an  ordinary  business  envelope,  and 
a  larger  inclosure  folded  like  a  legal  paper. 
On  the  smaller  paper  was  written  : 

"To  be  opened  only  after  my  death. 

Paul  Calkins." 

Eleanor  opened  this  at  once.  Within  were 
several  pages  closely  written  in  the  well-known 
handwriting  of  Paul.  Its  contents  were  as 
follows,  omitting  the  date  : 


THE   GAMBLER.  323 

"  I  have  been  married  eighteen  months  and 
am  a  father.  I  ought  to  be  the  happiest  man 
in  existence.  I  have  youth,  perfect  health,  a 
prosperous  business,  a  reasonable  fortune, 
good  social  position,  and  a  wife  whom  I  should 
adore  for  her  amiability,  her  marvelous  beauty, 
and  her  devotion.  No  man  living  has  a  fairer 
present,  or  a  more  promising  future  than  I. 

"  In  spite  of  all  these  I  am  not  happy.  I 
distrust  myself.  I  find  that  I  have  acquired 
a  love  of  stimulants  and  of  gaming.  I  can- 
not shake  them  off;  in  truth,  while  I  know 
all  the  deadly  consequences  of  their  indul- 
gence, they  are  so  fascinating  that  I  do  not 
even  care  to  rid  myself  of  them.  I  am  glid- 
ing down  a  descent  at  whose  bottom  I  see  a 
quagmire  which  I  know  will  receive,  engulf 
and  destroy  me,  and  yet,  even  now  when  1 
might  escape,  the  motion  is  so  delicious  that 
I  cannot  resist  its  seductions. 

"  In  proportion  as  these  vices  possess  me, 
the  love  I  bear  for  my  wife  decreases. 
Stronger  passions  than  those  underlying  love 
have  usurped  its  place.  My  friendship  for 
her  alone  remains.  Stimulation  is  diverting 
my  nature,  and  I  begin  to  regard  the  depths 
with  more  reverence  than  the  heights ;  hell, 


324  THE   GAMBLER. 

with  its  crimson  flames,  its  surging  billows,  is 
more  attractive  in  its  hurry,  its  activities,  its 
tremendous  effects,  than  heaven  with  its  pale 
lights,  its  unvarying  surface,  its  pious  mo- 
notony. 

"  1  stand  on  the  edge  of  a  precipice  beneath 
which  yawns  eternal  infamy.  I  have  not  yet 
taken  the  leap,  but  my  brain  is  dizzy,  and  I 
know  that  I  shall  hurl  myself  over  the  brink. 
I  feel  my  nature  developing  all  the  instincts 
of  wickedness,  and  I  know  that  the  time  is 
coming  when  I  will  hesitate  at  no  crime  to 
gratify  the  demands  of  the  demons  of  gaming 
and  drink  which  have  seized  me. 

"  Thus  feeling  and  believing,  I  have  assid- 
uously tried  to  devise  some  measure  which, 
while  it  would  not  in  the  least  mitigate  the 
certainty  and  horror  of  my  fate,  might,  to 
some  extent,  soften  the  calamity  in  the  hearts 
of  others,  innocent  and  profoundly  attached 
to  my  life  and  fortunes. 

"  The  inclosed  paper  will  reveal  the  plan 
I  have  adopted.  It  is  in  the  interest  of  my 
only  friend,  my  wife,  whose  saintly  soul  little 
deserves  the  fate  about  to  overwhelm  her. 
She  is  the  rarest,  the  purest  of  women  and 
should  pass  through    life    along   a   pathway 


THE   GAMBLER,  325 

strewn  with  roses,  and  breathe  only  an  atmos- 
phere vivified  by  celestial  agencies.  But 
fate  has  ordered  for  her  a  season  of  torture. 
The  fiends  which  have  taken  me  in  charge 
are  not  satisfied  that  their  victim  alone  should 
suffer ;  they  demand  the  tears,  the  groans  of 
wives  and  children. 

"Let  whoever  may  read  this  after  my 
death,  pity,  not  me,  but  those  unfortunates 
whom  my  accursed  destiny  has  dragged 
down  with  me.  For  them  I  have  sought  to 
secure  a  resurrection  ;  for  me  there  is  none." 

Eleanor  opened  the  other  envelope  with 
shaking  fingers.  Within  was  a  paid-up  pol- 
icy for  a  life  assurance  for  twenty-five  thou- 
sand dollars,  in  favor  of  "  My  sweet  wiie  and 
friend,"  so  it  read,  "  Eleanor  Wright  Calkins." 

Tears  rained  in  torrents  from  her  eyes 
when  she  finished  the  perusal  of  these  papers. 

"  Love  died,"  she  thought,  "  but  friendship 
still  lives  and  is  immortal,  for  here  it  extends 
its  hand  to  me  from  beyond  the  grave  !" 

THE   END. 


326  THE   GAMBLER. 


SUPPLEMENTARY   NOTE. 

Among  all  Fetich  worshipers  it  is  be- 
lieved that  sacrifice  is  necessary  to  placate 
the  object  of  worship.  It  is  also  believed 
among  them  that  a  remnant  of  a  dead  body 
contains  the  qualities  of  the  original,  living 
person.  On  this  point,  Herbert  Spencer  says  : 
"  The  facts  show  how  sacrifices  to  the  man 
recently  dead  pass  into  sacrifices  to  his  body. 
*  *  Among  some  classes,  the  bones,  legs, 
arms,  skulls  of  the  principal  chiefs  are  pre- 
served by  their  descendants,  under  the  belief 
that  the  spirits  exercise  guardianship  over 
them." 

It  is  not  uncommon  for  this  class  of  wor- 
shipers to  pay  homage  to  a  tuft  of  hair,  the 
skull  and  the  like  of  a  relative,  and,  accord- 
ing to  the  same  writer:  "In  cases  of  sick- 
ness and  other  calamities,  they  present  offer- 
ings of  food  to  the  skulls  of  the  departed." 
In  the  private  hut  of  the  King  of  Adolee,  the 
skull  of  the  monarch's  father  is  preserved  in 
a  clay  vessel  placed  in  the  earth.  He  gently 
rebukes  it  if  his  success  does  not  happen  to 
answer  his  expectations.  Of  the  Fetich  dev- 
otees it  is  said,  "  They  worship  their  Fetiches, 
and  offer  them  blood  ;  they  pierce  their  ears, 


THE   GAMBLER.  327 

their  shoulders  and  their  breasts,  and  collect 
the  blood  with  a  sponge  and  spread  it  before 
the  skulls." 

The  gambler  is  a  Fetich  worshiper  in  the 
full  sense  of  the  word.  Under  the  words 
"hoodoo"  and  "mascot"  he  worships  the 
good  and  bad  genius  of  chance,  in  a  hundred 
different  shapes.  It  may  be  a  coin,  a  button, 
a  ring,  or  any  other  of  a  score  or  hundred 
material  things,  to  each  of  which  he  affords 
the  regard  that  the  Fetichist  pays  to  a  stone 
wrapped  in  a  rag,  or  the  shinbone  of  an 
ancestor. 

The  superstition  of  gamblers  is  astounding. 
It  is  stated  as  a  fact  that  three  well-known 
brothers  of  Chicago,  when  they  first  came 
here  to  open  a  gambling-house,  used  every 
morning  to  burn  an  old  shoe,  and  meanwhile 
dance  about  it,  and  all  to  placate  fortune. 

In  a  noted  gambling-house  in  Chicago  it 
has  been  the  custom  to  sprinkle  a  mixture  of 
salt  and  pepper  surreptitiously  around  the 
seats  of  the  players,  so  as  to  "  hoodoo"  them. 
In  the  same  house  it  was  the  custom  to 
sprinkle  the  same  mixture  on  the  clothing  of 
a  player  who  was  having  a  run  of  luck — the 
application  being  made  as  he  entered  the 
room.  There  are  superstitions  about  cats. 
One  establishment,  as  is  believed  by  the  fra- 
ternity, lost  steadily  for  three  years,  when  a 
stray  gray  cat  came  along,  and  the  bank  com- 
menced winning,  and  continued  to  win  till  the 
cat  was  stolen,  when  it  again  lost. 


328  THE   GAMBLER. 

The  Israelitish  player,  if  losing,  will  take 
off  his  finger  ring  and  put  it  in  his  pocket. 
Other  gamblers  find  luck  in  giving  something 
to  beggars,  in  touching  the  hump  of  a  hump- 
back, or  a  bald  head,  in  playing  certain  days, 
and  in  refraining  from  playing  on  certain 
others. 

FINIS. 


P5 
tM4, 


iiiif 


